“The King Crimson in 1973-74 was not a balanced group, or perhaps it was balanced in disarray. It was sometimes frightening and not a comfortable place to be. Increasingly it needed improvisation to stay alive. But that didn’t show much in studio albums. In concerts, it stepped sideways and jumped. This team looked into the darker spaces of the psyche and reported back on what it found. The 1969 Crimscapes were bleak and written, the 1973-74 Crimscapes were darker, and mainly improvised.” – Robert Fripp, The Great Deceiver Box Set.
Posts Tagged ‘king crimson’
Dead Heroes Club – A Time Of Shadow
For whatever reason progressive rock has never established a foothold in Ireland. Just across the Irish Sea, in neighboring England, progressive rock flourished in the 1970s so much that entire “schools” of prog were born. Maybe it was the political climate of the land that kept the often fantasy-themed explorations of prog from finding roots in Ireland. While English bands such as Yes, Genesis, Emerson, Lake & Palmer were traversing imagined landscapes and worlds, Ireland’s Rory Gallagher’s feet were planted firmly on the ground, playing meat-and-potatoes blues-rock for his country men and women. But there was a void… until now.
Makajodama – King Crimson meets Allan Pettersson
Makajodama is a Swedish quartet led by guitarist Mathias Danielsson, who also plays with progressive rockers Gösta Berling’s Saga. Danielsson was seeking a vehicle to perform a mix of improvised and composed music and found a fellow adventurer in drummer Mattias Ankarbrandt (ex-The Carpet Knights). The story goes, as the two were rehearsing in Danielsson’s space, the sound of a violin kept penetrating the walls and after some detective work the source of the sound was found, violinist Johan Klint. It so happened that Klint knew a cellist, Karin Larsdotter, who was keen to improvise and became the final piece of Makajodama.
10 Great Bands and Musicians You’ve Never Heard Of
The greatest musical discoveries are always unplanned, and when I come across a great band or artist I have never heard before, I want to share my find. Here are 10 great bands and musicians you’ve probably never heard of, but you should! And there’s another band I’d like to include, but need more info. Maybe you can help?
Mörglbl – Jazz For The Deaf
Mörglbl are a three-piece progressive rock outfit from France whose strange name could be construed as an onomatopoeia for the band’s sound. Jazz For The Deaf is an absolutely killer collection of instrumentals fronted by guitar-god-in-waiting Christophe Godin. Remember the name. What’s Mörglbl like? It’s progressive rock with a heavy guitar edge but always with a strong melodic foundation. “22 Oz” sounds like Robin Trower and Steve Vai guesting on King Crimson’s Red. Ivan Rougny’s elastic bass makes the slippery “Borderline” veer back and forth between Tony Levin and Les Claypool. Drummer Aurélien Ouzoulias has a punchy and crisp attack that cements every mix.
Anthony Phillips – Private Parts & Pieces II “Back To The Pavillion”
Anthony Phillips is well known for his stint as guitarist for Genesis, until he left the band after 1970’s Trespass due to bouts of stage fright. Steve Hackett was chosen as replacement, and the band carried on, evolving into one of progressive rock’s greatest outfits. While Genesis were recording such influential albums as Nursery Cryme, Foxtrot and Selling England By The Pound, Phillips seemingly disappeared from music altogether, before surfacing in 1977 with his first solo LP, The Geese & The Ghost. It would be the first in a line of solo efforts, where Phillips’ classical sensibilities meld with Old English folk stylings that gives his music a very British – often pastoral – quality.
Tuner – “Muut: Live In Estonia 2007″
Pat Mastelotto. Perhaps you aren’t familiar with his name, but trust me you’ve heard him play drums at least 100 times so far in your life. Even if you weren’t aware that he was the other percussionist alongside Bill Bruford in the “double trio” lineup of King Crimson and onward, you’ve still heard him. Maybe you’ve somehow dodged his spectacular studio work with XTC, Matthew Sweet, Scandal or The Sugarcubes, but you’ve still heard him. Now ‘fess up! You were listening to a lot of radio back in the ’80s and were tapping your toes to “Kyrie” or feigning pained emotion along with “Broken Wings,” both by Mr. Mister. That was Pat Mastelotto laying down the beats. Pat now hangs his hat in Austin, Texas, and is still crazy busy like he’s always been. Amid the numerous studio commitments, live gigs and King Crimson projects, Mastelotto jams with a former student of Robert Fripp in a duo named Tuner. The other half of Tuner is a German fellow named Markus Reuter. His story is also interesting.
No-Man “Schoolyard Ghosts”
No-Man’s sixth studio release, Schoolyard Ghosts, is as much a revelation for fans of No-Man’s previous work as it is for fans of the duo’s guitarist, Steven Wilson. Wilson, who started the No-Man project with vocalist Tim Bowness at more or less the same time that he began his better known group Porcupine Tree, in 1987, has been lauded as a prolific everyman, yet he reins in his prog-rock tendencies on a release that is beautifully subdued and shrouded in mist. Bowness’ voice is a haunting whisper on “Ghosts” and is best served by textures and treatments rather than cacophony. Gone are the days of No-Man’s trip-hop and indie rock past. The future consists of airy lamentation with nary a beat to push us forward.
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