“It has the Crimson gene, but it isn’t quite KC,” Robert Fripp posted online, in reference to this latest collaboration with guitarist/vocalist Jakko Jakszyk, saxophonist Mel Collins, bassist Tony Levin and Porcupine Tree drummer Gavin Harrison.
It appears that the bedrock of this album was fashioned through improvisation from Fripp, Jakszyk and Collins, with Levin and Harrison later adding parts in their respective studios, stroking the music to maturity – though Fripp and Jakszyk helmed the final mix. With most of this crew tied to the Crimson (or Schizoid Band) mast in the past, their natural understanding of what’s required is almost telepathic. The Price We Pay is particularly fetching, opening with a Japanese-sounding guitar line that paves the way for a vocal that’s gently cushioned by harsh metal power chords, soft synth-sounding guitar and Collins’ delightful multi-tracked horn parts.
As a vocalist, Jakszyk asserts himself in a similar fashion to old Crimson crusader Adrian Belew, though, on the drifting tortoises of Secrets and This House, you sometimes wonder if you’re listing to a No-Man album rather than a King Crimson Projekt. Mind you, that’s no bad thing, as this is a potent sonic cocktail.
