May 23, 2000 - The ConstruKction Of Light

A day after my last release and nearly five years since "Thrak", King Crimson released their twelfth album "The ConstruKction Of Light" on May 23, 2000. Around since the 80s incarnation, bassist Tony Levin and drummer Bill Bruford are no longer with the band, and so ends the "double trio" line-up. These are both sad departures as they are both excellent musicians, but the remaining four members are still playing the same style of progressive/industrial rock. Pat Mastelotto plays an entirely electronic drum kit as well so King Crimson continue to evolve, now into their fifth decade. Let's see what the new stuff is all about!

The album kicks off with "ProzaKc Blues" and Trey Gunn's Warr guitar sounds really low in the background while Robert Fripp plays a slow but solid guitar riff. Adrian Belew adds a different guitar riff simultaneously that, as usual, mixes nicely with Fripp's main riff. Belew's vocals are not his usual at all on this one as he sings in a really low, raspy voice that is nothing like what you'd expect from him. It's tolerable, but it's not my favourite; I wish he'd just sing in his regular voice. The music is solid though and Fripp plays a pretty interesting guitar solo midway through. After another industrial verse and chorus Fripp delivers another epic guitar solo before they jam things out and this was certainly a unique album opener. Up next is the title track "The ConstruKction Of Light" and Gunn plays a pretty sweet bass riff that keeps the pace while Fripp and Belew go note for note back and forth on a cool part. They end up doing their usual two different riffs that somehow intricately work together and along with the cool bass everything sounds pretty sweet! This goes on for a cool (almost) six minutes and then Belew finally comes in on vocals. He sounds like himself on this one and I think he sounds much better in his usual high, offbeat voice. He sings a couple solid verses overtop the still cool music and this part is just under three minutes to take us to the end of this nice long song. Track 3 is "Into The Frying Pan" and Gunn plays a groovy Warr guitar riff in the opening until they settle into the verse with Belew sounding odd as usual and the guitars sounding high and trippy. It's a solid verse and chorus and Mastelotto's drums sound pretty good the whole way through. Fripp gets a couple chances to play some trippy guitar solos that sound pretty crazy, words can't describe it! The music devolves into some trippy synths as Fripp goes full psychedelic on us, and I like what I hear! Those are some cool, not lame synths! The next track is "FraKctured" and it is a sort of reimagining of the awesome song "Fracture" from their '74 album "Starless And Bible Black". It definitely reminds you of the 70s song, but also has new elements going on, giving things a fresh and interesting outlook. The guitars have the same sound and tone as "Fracture" and when Fripp really starts going fast things sound pretty sweet. Everyone else plays nicely around Fripp, including some solid drums by Mastelotto, but it's Fripp who continues to lead the way for the whole nine minutes as he has lots of time to play all kinds of great stuff. Belew's slow guitar matches up nicely with Fripp's fast stuff and this is a pretty sweet progressive and instrumental tune! Track 5 is "The World's My Oyster Soup Kitchen Floor Wax Museum" and isn't that a mouthful and a fun little play on words! It's got a very industrial main riff with Mastelotto playing some interesting drums and Belew sings an odd verse that matches the funky mood pretty well. After a bit of industrial jamming Fripp goes off on a pretty crazy solo and words don't do proper justice to this next part! The guitar sounds insane and awesome and the keyboards that follow are in the same crazy vein! These awesome keyboards take us right to the end of the song and what a way to play things out! Up next is the latest in a series that dates all the way back to the 70s, it's "Larks' Tongues In Aspic, Pt. IV". It'a definitely the most industrial part of this saga as Gunn and Mastelotto play a solid, industrial rhythm section while Fripp and Belew play off each other as usual with some interesting guitar. After a few minutes of solidly jamming out this riff Fripp takes off on a lengthy guitar solo and he plays some pretty cool stuff while the rest of the band nicely backs him. It's another long and pretty wicked solo by Fripp on this album and things carry over into a new riff that seems to be slowly and slowly building up. Eventually we reach another Fripp guitar solo and I think this one is even better than the first one! He plays another minute-plus long solo filled with all kinds of crazy and cool stuff and it takes us all the way past the nine minute mark and right into track 7, "Coda: I Have A Dream". Fripp plays Fripp space-y synths while Gunn and Mastelotto lead a pretty cool rhythm section with some nice drumming and some cool bass. Belew plays some epic guitar overtop it all and this is a solid main riff for sure. Belew eventually starts to sing a light verse as well, just as things start to hit a very long and slow fadeout. This track wasn't flashy on it's own, but it was indeed a perfect coda to wrap things up. There is one final track called "Heaven And Earth" and Fripp plays lots of different keyboards in a slow and trippy opening. The rhythm section comes in with a computer-y bass riff and electronic drums and along with the space-y keyboards this is certainly an interesting mix. I think it sounds cool and definitely unique and once Belew comes in with some epic guitar things really sound good. Fripp then goes off on what I think is a Mellotron and we hear some more crazy and cool stuff! This near eight minute song is entirely instrumental and the first five minutes are really cool. The last three minutes are much slower and quieter and while it's not bad, it's some trippy and very psychedelic keyboards, but I find this an odd way to end this song and wish they would've just been two separate tracks.

That is the end of "The ConstruKction Of Light" and I thought it was a pretty good album! You'd think that losing Levin and Bruford would be more noticeable, but the four remaining members do just fine and play lots of cool music on this album. Fripp and Belew continue to have such a good connection and Fripp had plenty of awesome guitar and keyboards for us. I think it's easily better than their last album "Thrak" and I think it's easily better than "Discipline" as well. It's closer after that, but I also like this album more than both "Lizard" and even "In The Wake Of Poseidon"! The buck stops there, as I don't think it surpasses "Larks' Tongues In Aspic", but to crack the top 5 at all (even if it is fifth) is an astonishing feat in 2000 for  band that started in 1969. Keep it coming King Crimson!