MOUTHO (Ken Fleischman) – From The Mouth Of The Crimson King (2021) Review: Ken Crimson

The album’s cover

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.

Ken Fleischman – New Old Things (2021) Review

The album’s cover

New Old Things is a worthwhile play for fans of electronic or noise music. Some of these tracks seem intended to emphasize ambiance, which makes the music more about being a collective experience, though they work on their own. Other tracks are more conventional in nature. The shift is a little jarring and one type is done better than the other, but that also results in a fun grab-bag of not knowing what you’re going to get next. A lot of the tracks are dominated by keyboard. Songs can live or die on how well they work due to how prominent they can be.

An example of the great keys is on “Popsong”. The track can seem unassuming in its relaxing rhythm, as if it wants to be something you can study to. It’s a solid warm opener, though the drums would sound better if not synthesized. “Winter Theme” both continues that tone, being very ambient. However, it adds in a synth that is slightly unsettling. “View From A Frosted Window” is comparatively straightforward. It appears to have a synthesized keyboard, but a real player that could add umph when needed would really bring it to life. That or an acoustic guitarist. What most of the songs here have that this one lacks is being able to hear the silence. A lack of noise in response to a sound adds to the methodical nature at play. A quiet room with just a pianist or guitarist would provide an absent simplicity and realism to the track that could make it fit better with the generally synthetic other tracks, while also providing obvious contrast.

The eccentricities are amplified with a cover. “Blue Monday (New Order cover)” is longer than the earlier songs. It feels as though it’s transitioning you from what you’ve heard before to the stranger stuff due to the long and droning notes. The digital drums work better as the beat sounds very robotic, as if you asked a computer to make music. “Mouthy/Talkative” has a very catchy vocal line, despite the earlier material being instrumental. That line makes the song and thus the album feel more diverse and flavorful. It is comparatively like the other songs when you put it up against “Thatcher Song (A Bruno Powroznik Classic Remix)”. Those that don’t like hardcore noise music should turn away. This track is probably intended to be annoying, but it embraces it so well, while still managing a surprisingly good melody, that it’s a very likable addition. The vocal could’ve used either more processing or less. Maybe a vocal with a more commanding sound would help? Imagine a Frank Farian-type one talking about how glad they are that Margaret Thatcher died.

The song goes from its initial segment to its devolved portion quickly. What if the drumline on “Blue Monday” returned and segued into it? The eclectic hardware-esque sounds are particularly rewarding in the context of the record, due to a buildup throughout the whole thing. The extensive sounds of “Thatcher Song” make sense with the numerous tracks that in a sense feel computerized. It’s as if this is the swan song of an old computer that’s falling apart. Maybe it’s telling its life story? Thus, it going through this sonic landscape and ending up abandoning melody is a fitting way to approach the end. That “lack of life” and the motif of moments of silence are punctuated by ten minutes of silence. While more than about forty seconds is too much, at least it’s in keeping with what the album is going for. As expected, there is sound in the last seconds of the track. “An End” concludes the “ambient computer vibes” by being quiet and more minimalist in sound than the other tracks. It captures surprising somberness in its lowkey and simple notes. It might be the best cut on this album and what you should play if you only wanted to listen to one song.

OVERVIEW

Excluding any kind of interpreted narrative, New Old Things is still a sharp electronic noise album for those that are into that sort of thing. It manages to create a solid tone and experience, while being able to change things up, especially with the epic “Thatcher Song”, which is either thirteen or twenty-three minutes depending on how you look at it. It’s understandable that a fan of the shorter tracks might not like that one, but it’s not as much of a curveball as you might think. For better or for worse, this might not convert anyone that doesn’t like this sort of music.

Listen to the album here: https://kfleischmantunes.bandcamp.com/album/new-old-things