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Fripp & Eno Evening Star Review by Gary Hill Anyone looking for the powerhouse music that you tend to expect from King Crimson here will be disappointed. This is an atmospheric work, but there is still plenty of Fripp to be found within. As the music really evolves slowly and languidly it’s not the easiest stuff to write about. The last six tracks of the CD are all part of one extensive piece. This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2008 Volume 6 at lulu.com/strangesound.

Track by Track Review

Wind on Water This rises extremely gradually. It’s mostly atmospheric but grows to something a bit beyond that as it carries on. It doesn’t really have a lot of musical lines of melody. Instead this builds upon layers and layers of sound with a more “sheet-like” elegance. It segues into the next number.

Evening Star Real melody emerges at the onset here and this is quite pretty. At times I hear Pink Floyd on this, but when Fripp’s guitar weaves its evocative and beautiful tale there is no mistaking who is coaxing the sounds from the guitar strings. It’s trademark Fripp.

Evensong This cut is in some ways a mix of the first two. It’s got less blatant Frippisms in it than the last one, but also has more melody than the opener.

Wind on Wind Nearly as purely atmospheric as the disc’s opener, they still manage to bring some melody to the table.

An Index of Metals Here they give us a symphony of atmosphere. This (as one might guess) leads straight into the next cut.

An Index of Metals (continuation) The atmosphere of the last segment continues, but it begins to take on a dark and dangerous element.

An Index of Metals (continuation) The danger is more extreme here, although the central structure involves an ebb and flow of waves of sound. The danger subsides as this carries on and more pretty elements emerge amidst the stark skies.

An Index of Metals (continuation) A new industrial type noise rises up and seems ready to take over here. It gets much more atmospheric from there, though. Short lines of Fripp guitar rise up over and over again as this continues onward.

An Index of Metals (continuation) This continues the musical themes, but the lines of sound from the last one retreat. Eventually as this is worked upon we get more stabs of Fripp guitars shooting upward here and there. That motif eventually carries over to the next movement.

An Index of Metals (conclusion) A more atmospheric motif makes up this segment as the Fripp sounds drop away to the background and eventually subside. This is really turned into quite the atmospheric noise tone poem later.

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