The Tournament For The Court Of The Crimson King: Final Thoughts and a collection of links

Fuck me, what a ride.  Nearly four months and one too many essays later we have made a final decision on this long winded matter.  I wanted to thank everyone who stuck around and read all these articles, and a huge thank you for all the kind words said during my feature.

5 Guitarists to Listen to for Inspiration

Oh my goodness it feels good to not have to write anything about King Crimson in the header.  I felt for my first writing piece since my over indulgent tournament I would venture away from discussing albums and back to talking musicians.  This January I will be writing four articles, each about five musicians that you should check out for inspiration, but each week will be a different instrument.

By inspiration I mean that if you are an aspiring musician it may help your growth to check out these performers for some new and fresh ideas.  While we all are aware of the Steve Vai's and Jimmy Page's of the world there are so many other musicians who not only do not get fair attention, but also are exploring some wild new frontiers with their instrument of choice.

I will note that I am not including Mr. Belew in this article since I have written more than enough about him over the course of our lovely blog. 

Saturday Night Hype Masters 1-4-2014 (Gavlyn)

A'ight, y'all! Here comes another dope ass 5-hit combo for y'all to get right by, on this chilly ass Saturday Night (as told by Chicago, anyways...)! However, this time, we're not doin' EDM like I (seemingly) normally do, 'cause this time, I'm droppin' some fine Hip Hop on y'all by way of Gavlyn. I only just found out about her late last year, when I was lookin' up random rap battles to watch on Youtube, and then she just showed up in one of the recommended viewing lists, so I gave her a shot. Gotta say that I'm really feelin' her style, as it's not only nice to find a dope ass female MC, but one that isn't constantly spittin' about how much her booty pops (not that that doesn't have its place, but you get what I'm sayin', right?), which is somethin' a lot of people out there need more of. So, props to Gavlyn and here's to hopin' I've amassed some new fans for her. Catch y'all next week!

-Kenny Riot-

The King Crimson Finals: Red Vs Discipline

The ability for me to finally write "finals" in that subject heading brings me great joy and a sigh of relief.  As much fun as it was to undertake this project I also realize how immobilizing it was.  For nearly 4 months I have written about nothing but this band.  It has definitely allowed me to indulge in this group and explore it to its fullest extent, finding new live shows and other bits of trivia, but I also fear that you the reader have become burnt out on the single subject meandering that I have subjected you to.  Perhaps if I attempt another "tournament" I will explore a band with a much smaller discography and also write more diligently.

For now, one last time.  Let us indulge.

  VS 

Semi-Finals #2: Discipline Vs. In The Court of The Crimson King

After submitting my last article an observant reader made this comment:
"Red is emotional in a more direct way, the lyrics are clear and the vocals up front. His voice on Larks sounds distant and pretty meek. I could sing you most of Reds lyrics and none from Larks except for the "Ea-syyy Mo-neyyyy".
The mixing sets Red apart too, I guess."

While I could recall the majority of Easy Money's  lyrics I think the reader made a spot on observation about how Lark's Tongue in Aspic was mixed compared to Red.  It just goes to show how important mix can be in creating a great album, and how the mix of an album can reflect the emotion and feeling of an album.

These are two different concepts.  A bad mix is just a poor balance of sounds, either due to a lack of know-how or budget restraints.  A poorly thought out mix is different, as the mix can be reflective of the mood of an album.  Sometimes a rough mix better reflects the feel of the music, and sometimes it benefits from a clean sounding mix with everything being truly distinguished.  While the later concept is purely subjective you sometimes get the feeling the musician or producer either gave the mixing stage a big 'ol "aw fuck it" or had a far different idea for their music than the listener did.

VS 

Saturday Night Hype Masters 12-28-2013 (Noisia)

Alright, y'all...it's time for another 5 hit combo of hype shit to get you ready to take on yet another Saturday Night! This time, your fuel for the fire is none other than Noisia! Jacks of all trades, they can handle multiple genres and still get the groove goin'! Even got some music in a couple games, too! Check 'em out in the later entries in the "Wipeout" racing game series, and their original music score for the Devil May Cry reboot! So get to listenin' and I'll see you all next week AND next year!

-Kenny Riot-

The Tournament for the Court of the Crimson King Semi-Finals: Lark's Tongue in Aspic v Red

So just to get everyone back to speed I have revised the bracket.   Because of my terrible art skills it still looks modestly like garbage, but this is the tier of quality equated with Riff 'N Ralk Music Tock

Before we begin with our semi finals I wanted to share a quote from someone who has been reading this feature since I started it in September (thanks!)
"While I disagreed with a couple of the first round results, I like your final four and based on that bracket setup mine would've ended up the same. "

I think that this is a sentiment that could be shared across most Crimson fans.  While I know some would disagree with my first round choices I think we have the best four albums here at the end.  Each showcases Crimson at its peak in for one reason.
In The Court Of The Crimson King for its quintessential progressive rock nature.
Lark's Tongue in Aspic for its encapsulation of their improvisational nature
Red for being the final evolution of the British progressive invasion
Discipline for showing that progressive means more than 15 minute songs about fighting dragons

Let us begin the finale
  VS