Islands by King Crimson

Best Tracks: Ladies of the Road, Islands
Genre: Progressive Rock
Year: 1971

King Crimson is easily one of the most celebrated rock bands to ever exist. In the Court of the Crimson King is often cited as among the first and most influential progressive rock albums. Their new wave reorientation with Discipline is almost just as beloved too. As a band with as much history and influence as King Crimson though, some albums get overshadowed.

Islands has always stood out as an overlooked moment in their catalogue. Placed at a point in their career after they had developed past their extreme form of blues rock, but before they became too showy and abrasive. This album’s diversity in sounds is perhaps why it isn’t as popular as other King Crimson records. To me, however, I find Islands to be the best example of what progressive rock has to offer, from classical-inspired side-long compositions to jazz-tinged improvisational grooves.

“Formentera Lady”, the album opener, marries spiritual jazz sax and percussion with classical vocals and strings. The song teeters between these two extremes, all while a repeating bass pedal holds the song together. “Sailor’s Tale” and “The Letters” go together as a perfect example of how crazy improvisation can get. “Sailor’s Tale” is an instrumental with an incredible range of guitar tones and rhythm changes, concluding with a tried-and-true mellotron climax. “The Letters” is a lesson in dynamics, shifting between whispered vocals to chanting saxophone and guitars. “Ladies of the Road” goes back to much of the psychedelic rock/pop that King Crimson grew out of, with a chorus that sounds like a Beatles tune. The tight groove between the drums and bass is my favourite part about this song, reminding that prog does not need to be chalenging to hit hard. “Song of the Gulls” is a short modern-classical piece with no rock instrumentation, and it serves as a tone-setter before the album’s closer. “Islands”, the title track, is the most gorgeous song the band has ever recorded. The melody and instrumentation feel so natural, it sounds nothing like the majority of rock music out there. Patient, meditative songs like “Islands” are the kind of songs that can support a person through hardship.