Released in 2000, the 12th King Crimson studio album finds a slimmed-down quartet breaking new ground as well as retooling older themes with FraKctured and Lark’s Tongues In Aspic Part IV, both containing some of Fripp’s most terrifyingly complicated lines to date.
Alongside Pat Mastelotto’s arsenal of electronic drums and Trey Gunn’s growling touch guitar, Adrian Belew’s scarily manic soloing and his penchant for surreal lyrics run riot during the roiling, skewed gait of The World’s My Oyster Soup Kitchen Floor Wax Museum. And they even Crimsonise the humble 12-bar with ProzaKc Blues. Perhaps the most surprising piece is instrumental bonus track, Heaven And Earth. A beguiling melange of haunting soundscapes and frantic, galloping beats, the final section contains one of Fripp’s most sublime, heartfelt solos on record.
