Islands

King Crimson doing post-rock before post-rock was even a thing. And doing it way better than most musicians ever dream of doing it.

If there's any theme going around here, it's the beautiful isolation. It's in the cover, and it's in the title. Islands is full of theatrical compositions that are well paced between showing off and hiding underneath the cowl of silence. One of the best examples is The Letters with its slower sections cut with crescendo moments of fervor. The moments where Boz Burrell sings in a hushed tone are beautiful, and bring another side to the album.

My favorite song is the self titled Islands, which stands as one of my favorite King Crimson songs ever. It's a slow, sentimental track that lulls you with its sparse arrangement and intimate atmosphere.

A lovely, warm, intimate album wrapped mysterious soft tones. The saxophone figures large in this album. Something about this work creates a kind of cozy atmosphere, like you can snuggle up in it. As the fourth studio album, this document represents the end of King Crimson’s first stage as a band, for it’s the last album to use founding member Peter Sinfield’s lyrics. After this, the band moves on to its unassailable trilogy.