Ken Fleischman’s second full-length scours the music of “King Crimson” to put together a novel little record. Fans of the eccentricities of Fleischman’s music will not feel left in the cold, despite the lack of original material. For reference, the first album, New Old Things, features a quality New Order cover. For From The Mouth Of The Crimson King, the keys are the best part, creating a nice rhythm. The loose trance they hold is quite delightful. The degree of proficiency present is enough for them to leave a positive and memorable mark that is both weird and structured. The vocal pops, similar to scat singing, are a mixed bag. They sometimes are overpowering, with them working a lot better as a backing to the other lines.
“21st Century Schizoid Man” has a really fun part in the middle that inserts a smidge of funk. There’s give-and-take with the vocals and instruments. It’s a little too long, but easy to relax to. That can be levied against all the longer tracks except the last one. Brevity really helps these tracks. They often become too repetitive in length. It’s easy to doze off and not pay much attention to them. “Lady of the Dancing Water” feels under-rehearsed due to its start-and-stop nature. That element, and the composition of the piece, makes it nonetheless charming. “Cirkus”’s synth has great flow. It’s satisfying when it gets more grand and then spacious. The angst of a track like “Moto Perpetuo” makes it stand out. That aggression is unnerving and all for the better. It can be seen as unwelcome for those who were here for the more relaxing parts. The parts with only keyboard you could imagine being a transition to something more experimental.
The next few tracks are among the weaker ones. “Frame By Frame” is reminiscent of Pink Floyd’s “On the Run”. It and the follow-up, “Neal and Jack and Me”, have a droning quality which loses the plot and is lacking in energy. There’s less diversity in sounds. “Three of a Perfect Pair”’s instrumentation and vocals seem to be trying to mesh well, but are unable to; as if they were recorded without consideration for the other. It improves when it gets a little intense near the end. The keys solo with a droning line in the background is extremely captivating and one of the highlights of the album.
“FraKctured” would benefit from a change in volume. The track sometimes seems to want to fly out and be grander, but it being about the same volume makes it dull. Some other songs here are like that. The track is overall solid, going for the recurring element of not being very comfortable. The sounds play like torment that is best continued. “Dinosaur” is a great groover, having a good give-and-take between the different sounds. The percussion is especially strong. “Lizard” benefits from its relaxed and almost jazzy-instrumentation. It’s playful, though not at the cost of its own worth as a piece. The ‘clicking’ part is one favorite segment. Personally, electronic percussion doesn’t sound quite right, but it’s not too bad here. It’s a solid and eclectic track that doesn’t go for more than it is. And while yes, it does overstay its welcome at a gargantuan twenty-eight minutes, it’s not by as long as one might think. It feels like an amalgamation of the best of the other tracks.
OVERVIEW
From The Mouth Of The Crimson King is at its best when it’s groovy, playful, and most importantly confident. Tracks like “FraKctured” demonstrate how something good can be made weaker by being too subdued. There is quite a bit of drag on this album that could’ve been cut, not wanting to belabor any point. Arguably it hurts from being less experimental than the first release, though to each their own. It’s a solid enough record, but perhaps not one for complete relistens. Some cuts would’ve helped, but what is here is respectable. Despite criticisms of length, “Lizard” is my personal favorite of the bunch.
Also, after writing this I learned that everything here was recorded with Ken’s mouth. Oh my Heavens, that’s impressive (computer effects were used, though). The effect sounds exactly like the mentioned instruments.
The Filme Diary 