In the wake of Posideon
This is music for Amphetimines
The godfathers of progressive rock, King Crimson, strike again although this time, as others have stated, it feels like a retread of their previous material. However, their debut album "In the Court of the Crimson King" was so rife with fantastic material that I honestly don't mind hearing that infamous syncopated rhythm and improvisation from '21st Century Schizoid Man' employed once again on 'Pictures of a City'. 'Epitaph's ethereal, achingly heartfelt vocals make an appearance on the title track 'In the Wake of Poseidon' as well. I guess some people are turned off by the thought of a progressive rock band that appears to refrain from progressing, but don't forget that their first three studio albums were all released within about one year. The fact that they churned out another effort, and a solid one at that, in such a short time is quite impressive.
The overall theme appears to be peace as evidenced by the intro (peace - a beginning), the outro (peace - an end), lyrical content, and the track 'Peace - A Theme'. In Contrast, my favorite track 'The Devil's Triangle', is a cacophony comprised of a haunting mellotron, steady snare, plonking piano, and some experimental devices I can't quite put my finger on. This demonic military march, especially when juxtaposed with the peace theme, easily becomes the stand out track. A phenomenal instrumental featuring 'In the Court of the Crimson King's vocal harmonies (therefore not a true instrumental but very close), and perhaps one of the best tracks King Crimson has ever produced. Another stand out track includes 'Cascade and Cadence' which is a sleepy little number, but very delicate and in keeping with the dreamy atmosphere.
The only song I didn't enjoy was 'Cat Food'. Yeah, I get that there is supposed to be some tongue and cheek humor here, and the instrumentation and improvisation is excellent, but those lyrics...woof! Also, the voice modulated screaming from '21st Century Schizoid Man' is present on this track, but that same aggressive effect that bolstered '...Schizoid Man's' message falls flat on a track about...well...cat food. A skipper for sure.
Overall, "In the Wake of Poseidon" is somber, containing moderate ballads and tempos which, in this case, is a good thing. Their trademark jazzy compositions and ethereal sound is in full force here and while some of the tracks sound awfully similar to the debut album, there is enough of a departure here to warrant a four star rating. Consider my craving for 'new' King Crimson satiated.
