King Crimson - Live in Detroit, MI 12/13/71

I’m finding it a bit surreal to be interested in the post-Court, pre-Tongues versions of King Crimson as it was relatively recently that I actually started to really like Lizard and I’ve never been much of a fan of Islands at all, I think one has to be a pretty severe Crimson fan to be one and I’m not anything close. But it was fascinating hearing this 1971 live show with the line up doing a mixture of songs as far back as the first album, it’s a Crimson I haven’t quite heard before, but then again their live legacy did seem to run under the radar until the band started releasing some of these documents. The thing for me is that I’m starting to recognize that what I usually blame later incarnations for, a turn to chillier and more industrial tones, actually had its start at least this early, particularly when Fripp lays down his solos. Overall, it just makes me more curious, which can’t be too bad a thing…

Psychotic Waltz - Bleeding

In His or Her infinite wisdom, my current incarnation was not gifted with the appreciation for either hair or prog metal and I have to think pretty hard to tell one from the other. I say this not to enter an endless dissertation on why I can’t stomach the stuff, but to qualify that this late album by one of the better bands in the genre (the latter one) is probably as boring and typical a prog metal album as there’s likely to be. Lots of metal bands get to that point where they finally release a stinker and Bleeding must be Waltz’s, but it’s more boring than offensive, which may be the way I tell prog from hair anyway.

Pienza Ethnorkestra - Indiens d’Europe

While I’ve complained quite a bit about this album having a pretty samey quality, and it does when all you’ve got is the hurdy gurdy (yeah I know the actual instrument is a bit different, I just can’t spell it without the booklet in front of me), bass and drums over nearly a full CD’s length, the dexterity of these musicians is generally a pleasure to listen to as they tend to whip out a lot of their themes at an almost frantic pace. It seems like a disc that rewards attentive listening more than casual as such a style just sounds like a blur when I’m distracted. It’s another one I’d throw in our Daath category, a disc I may have difficult filing in the 9 or 10 spot. But I am liking it more every spin…