Construcktion of Light

King Crimson | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 23, 2000)
• Original Release Date: May 23, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Astralwerks
• ASIN: B00004SX3H
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (115 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,808 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. ProzaKc blues

2. The ConstruKction of Light

3. The ConstruKction of Light

4. Into the Frying Pan

5. FraKctured

6. The World's My Oyster Soup/Kitchen Floor Wax Museum

7. Larks' Tongues in Aspic-Part IV

8. Larks' Tongues in Aspic-Part IV

9. Larks' Tongues in Aspic-Part IV

10. Coda: I Have a Dream

11. ProjeKct X/Heaven and Earth

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of King Crimson's Best, May 23, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Construcktion of Light (Audio CD)

Long time fans of King Crimson will find a lot to like about this new, fresh release from King Crimson, version 2000. Without rehashing the past, the band builds on everything that has come before and the results are remarkable.

This is a very rich CD. There is so much there that it will take many many listens to fully appreciate the depth of the music. It is also one of the heaviest Crimson CDs and parts of "FraKctured" and "Lark's IV" give any heavy metal band a run for their money.

I don't think I've heard Robert Fripp play better. Trey Gunn and Pat Mastelotto keep up with panache and Adrian Belew adds color, beauty and commentary throughout. "Coda: I Have a Dream" bring chills up my spine - not felt since "Starless".

I'd say this is the best Crimson CD since Discipline, and a great improvement over a much tamer THRAK (if you can believe that)! Well done!

The bonus track "Heaven and Earth" is an indication that the sister release from "ProjeKct X", recorded at the same time as this release, is also a must have CD. That one is only available from DGM mail order though - at disciplineglobalmobile.com.

Get them both! And don't miss them on their tours this year!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Avant-garde metal to a new extreme, May 26, 2000

By 

Greg Rebman (Orlando, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Construcktion of Light (Audio CD)

The intensity of this album places it as the successor to Red and Discipline, and is Kcrimson's heaviest yet. The guitar scale-work in the middle sections of FraKctured and Lark's IV is the fastest sustained playing ever recorded. In addition, Fripp has developed some new variations to his scales which save this from being a tired rehash. Previous Kcrimson signatures, such as full-ensemble parallel riffs with perfectly-timed starts and stops, have been taken to new heights of speed and complexity. I had only two reservations. First, the two best songs are reworkings of songs from the 70's; and second, they need to confine Adrian Belew to guitar. His vocals are not up to the level of the instrumentals, and his lyrics are as corny as they have always been. Nevertheless, this is emotive rock music made cubist. Sometimes one wishes that Fripp would lay into his riffs by putting more swing into his timing. But the rigid angularity of his playing style gives this music its unique soulless energy like shafts of light in the blackness of deep space.

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not THE best, but a good place to start..., May 31, 2000

By 

Rob Damm - See all my reviews

This review is from: Construcktion of Light (Audio CD)

With each CD, King Crimson becomes more difficult to categorize. After listening to the "ProJeckts" which, admittedly bored me as often as it thrilled me, I wasn't sure where the the next proper LP would take us. I was half expecting a full-out Metal Machine Music part.II sound collage. Fripp, et al. can be difficult to follow, as they range from really abstract and super experimental works, to almost-pop-metal songs. Turns out ConStrUktion is *very* accesible (as far as King Crimson goes). Everything here is really in song form and very digestable. Of course, repeated listens are rewarded with new discoveries, but it's also an album you don't need a Phd. is music theory to understand... simply put, it rocks hard... AND presents some interesting ideas about sound, time signatures, harmony and parallel melody lines. The rythym section is especially tight and just plain gargantuan-sounding... Fripp and Belew are easily two of the 8 or 10 finest guitar players in the history of popular music... Fripp's techical skill seems to grow with each new project, and his riffing here is probably some of the fastest and most complex lead guitar work ever comitted to tape.

One caveat: this may be unpopular to say, but I really think this band should stay with instrumentals. Belew's vocals are fine, and would probably sound great if they were just wordless cries... but, the odd and silly lyrics really detract from the intelligence of the music.

The recording is spacious and detailed as any electric rock recording you'll hear. Heavy metal for thinking fellers, and a great place to start your King Crimson collection.