Return of the Crimson King

The King is back.

It wasn't all too long ago that I would have been as boggled by those statements as the average kid my age. You know, if it ain't on the Top 40, screw it, lose it, I don't want to hear it. But that all changed when a glimpse of a horror filled pyschadelic face caught my attention at a local music store. I bought the album, took it home, and shoved it in the CD player. For about five seconds, my mind was distracted, each line of thought fleeting and undedicated. Then the screaming guitar of Robert Fripp blasted in to me and my mind became a singularity, dedicated solely to listening to this amazing audio sensation. The sensation was King Crimson's debut album, In the Court of the Crimson King.

Yah, yah, I was almost forty years too late. So I wasn't born in the 50's, sue me! But I hopped on that train, and was hooked to the progressive, jazzy, free jamming gods that were King Crimson. And why is this all relevant? Well, as any fan of King Crimson knows, their line up changes like a man caught with another's wife, fast and its done with quickly. And for all those (nonexistent) readers who missed it this fantastic piece of news like I did, the new line up has been announced and will make their debut in August of this year.

Robert Fripp, Adrian Belew, Tony Levin, and Pat Mastelotto will be joined by Gavin Harrison, the talented drummer of Psychadelic band Porcupine Tree fame. Being a fan of both bands, this is a combination so perfect that its a wonder I hadn't thought of it while jammering away at one point, "You...you know what would be tooootally awesome? That drummer of Porcupine Tree...that drummer...with King Crimson! I KNOW?!"

Get Ready.
http://www.krimson-news.com/2007/11/19/gavin-harrison-joins-king-crimson/

Credit goes out too Adrian for pointing this out too me, fellow music and King Crimson lover, and the owner of this lovely little website. http://www.geocities.com/belewfripp/index.html

Hello, World

System dot out dot println, Hello World

So me and Matt decided, inspired indirectly by our good friends at Team Ranbir, to start this cute little project. So, we gathered up a partay of fellow musicians and music lovers, and the results may frighten you--we're going to blag music. Yes... music blag. Crazy? Yes.
Anyway, there will be reviews, there will be lists, there will be facts. And by facts... oh yes, I mean facts. Our goal is to utilize our mighty opinions to help you become a better music fan.

Will we seem elitist? Well, we are human... and, more importantly, musicians. So, yes. But just try to read all our articles with an open mind and, hey, maybe a little sense of humor, and we'll get along great. ^.^

-Enjoy yourselves,
--The Management

Galactic's "From the Corner to the Block"

When it comes to Funk, the average person's knowledge extends no further than James Brown. Possibly Tower of Power. But the New Orleans based band Galactic shows a strain of Funk that takes more from the legacy of George Clinton than any else, but by no means is the band just a carbon copy of those old time P-Funk bands. They draw their influences from all over the spectrum; Jazz, Rock 'n Roll, Hip-Hop, Electronica, and you can hear influences from other genres permeating their music throughout any of their albums, but none more so than "From the Corner to the Block". The 2007 release is their newest album, and it shows that the band is far from their height, in fact, I suspect they have much farther to go in the development of their all ready rich and unique sound. The most obvious change to the band is the loss of their lead singer, Theryl DeClouet. The absence of his New Orleans Blues Vocals is notable, and beneficial. Instead of DeClouet, they bring in a plethora of MCs and DJs to provide rhymes, vocals, and Trip-Hop style beats, the album features a strong line-up of outside artists, with no evident weak spots that harm the overall quality of the album. Since this is a review for Galactic, I won't go on about the these guest artists, aside from saying that lyrical quality is all top notch and anyone who is (rightfully) concerned about the lyrical quality will be pleased, but I would recommend checking out the solo work of any person on this album for fine examples of what hip-hop should be. The album starts off with the track "I Got it", which shows where the album is going like a neon sign. Lots of electronic effects, Jazz inspired beats, intricate drum loops, grooving bass lines, and a Rock n' Roll inspired Electric Guitar solo at the end. The band remains in the background, sticking to the groove but still letting the song flow in different directions. The songs following continue the trend, with the Rhythm section providing a stiff backbone for the others to emphasize and flow along with. For the first third of the album, the band is never in the fore, always standing behind whichever MC they have for the track. The is remarkable, because all the members are such talented musicians, that they relegate themselves to a backup band is nothing less than amazing, and disappointing, at least for anyone whose heard them live where much more of the focus is on the band, and their talents as musicians and skills at improvising are brought to the fore. The first track that is purely instrumental is "Bounce Baby" which features DJ Z-Trip. It is three minutes and ten seconds of electro funk-hop glory, truly showing what the band is capable of with its crowded choruses featuring blazing trumpets that lead in to tearing solos with nothing but chords and the ever intricate drums of Stanton Moore backing them up. They quickly fall back to the vocal tracks, with a few exceptions. And while those featuring MCs are still good and entertaining songs, any band can be a back up band and you can't help but want to hear more of the band itself. Though there is, as usually, the exception. Ladybug Mecca's vocals on "Squarebiz"are nearly enchanting, and instead of detracting from the experience of the music, blends in with it, adding to the groove like she's another instrument. Overall, the album is not only solid, but far above average, with great music and lyrics. Its main disappointment is that it leaves you for wanting more of what the band is capable of. The album has only four Instrumental tracks and after listening, I craved more than just those four tracks. At times, it can seem like a Hip-Hop artist feature, and if the members of Galactic weren't as good as they were, it would be. Due to this shortcoming, the album doesn't quite reach the top tier. That being said, it is without a doubt their best album yet (with all due respect to Mr.DeClouet), showing that this all ready great band if far from finished with its improvement. 7.5/10