Thrak - King Crimson (1995)

Ideated from: some things I discovered through my CMJ New Music Monthly subscription back in the 90s.

King Crimson has a global following and a long history, but I didn’t really know anything about them because they hadn’t been active in the time I’d been listening to music. When I found out that Adrian Belew played guitar and sang in the current version, it made me notice because I’d liked his solo albums and his work with David Bowie. Technically, the track included on the CMJ was from an EP called “VROOOM” that seems not to have made the transition to streaming. But that EP was mostly versions of tracks from THRAK, which came out only a few months later, so I’m going to use THRAK for this exercise.

Crimson is a constantly changing lineup, basically guitar mastermind Robert Fripp and whoever he wants to work with. This 90s incarnation is called the “double trio” because they had two guitarists, two drummers, and two guys playing bass and Chapman Stick (a sort of guitar / bass hybrid).

This version of the band could really bring the ruckus. Opinions will vary, but my favorite versions of Crim are the ones with Belew involved. His ear for a hummable melody and a sense of song structure balance out some of Fripp’s tendency towards grandiosity. The musicians often follow their own ideas, but always keep everyone else in mind, making for some fantastic interplay. If you have headphones on, you’ll find that in places each of the two drummers is mixed entirely into a separate ear, which is is a bit of a headtrip. Guitars are often heavily distorted, but the bass tones are left clean for a nice contrast. The music crunches at times, but often resolves to softer passages that give the listener space to breathe.

This is probably my favorite Crim album, which is saying something, and I owe it all to a paper magazine and promo CD.

Tracks I liked

VROOOM - this track and the other all-caps titles, THRAK and VROOOM VROOOM, form the statement of purpose here, showing off what six masterful musicians can do when they put their minds to it.

Dinosaur - A song by an aging rock band about (I think) being an aging rock band.

One Time - If you’re here for the lyrics, this is probably the strongest on the album. Even if you’re not, it’s a gorgeous song.

Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream - more playful and borderline funky than most of the record.