King Crimson

A small committee formed by founding father Robert Fripp of King Crimson, ProjeKct Two lies somewhere between the guitarist-in-chief's rich solo riffwork and the rawkin' yet dead-tight group efforts of his infamously pretentious prog rock ensemble. Freaky, hi-sci-fi CD liner notes describe in somewhat anthropological detail the sessions featuring Trey Gunn and Adrian Belew, which took place in Nashville while everyone was also working hard on other projects. Space Groove is jammed with bizarre instrumentals that have snapped their leashes and begun running all over the park like wild after-school art class experiments. The songs spill out like virtual spacebuckets of guitars and drums (although there were apparently only two of each in studio attendance). The amount of actual musical minutes on this record is relatively (and surprisingly) short. Two discs (separately named Space Groove and Vector Patrol) cover only 80 minutes, but yes, it feels like more. Stanley Kubrick was unable to tap these fellows for what could still be the world's spaciest space movie music if anyone's up for it, but this record is cinematographic in its own right, replete with interplanetary communication systems and sonic warfare. What listeners hear is essentially electronics and MIDI, with a few sounds occasionally heard in nature tossed into the mix. Fripp and Gunn's sheer virtuosity and desire to keep any ear guessing for the duration are impressive -- though Belew's glittery but automatic robo-music occasionally bleeds a little adventure from the otherwise otherworldly effort. ~ Becky Byrkit, All Music Guide