This release
by the new progressive rock outfit Fragile is an interesting entry -- clearly in the guitar school of one certain Robert Fripp. The sound of Fragile is distinctly Discipline-era King Crimson, which is not a surprise when one realises that the driving force of Fragile and its guitarist, Robert Jürjendal, actually studied under guitarmeister Fripp at one time.However
, with that said, the CD release Manifest is good -- but does lack in originality quite a bit. Some of the material is too much like Discipline-era King Crimson, for all its benefits and drawbacks. Also, with only drummer Arvo Urb (formerly of Ruja and In Spe) on the recording, it misses the depth of that era of King Crimson -- though the guitar (and sampled bass) are layered quite well.The first track
of the CD, "Istuv Sõnn," immediately gives a hint of that era of King Crimson -- you could almost imagine Fripp and Adrian Belew playing around on this song. It has that typical repetitive pattern of the '80s Crimson, and this song would please any Fripp fan. That is followed by more Frippian stuff with "Softeye's Blue." It almost reminds you of "Frame by Frame" with its complex layered repetitive guitar pattern. The guitar solo has that angst-filled sound that Fripp conjures up in many a songs. The song's composition is massively complex, and it is fascinating to hear all the little nuances played on each part of the mosaic.Third
on the CD is the strangely-titled "Sushi 2000," which starts with a nice sampled bass line -- almost like if Tony Levin was there. Again, very typical stuff akin to 1980s King Crimson, with a mild oriental feel to the guitar lines -- thus the name of the song, I suppose. Next is "Manifest I," which has a strange beginning. Though the pattern again is repetitive, the use of different sounds and textures really make this opening quite interesting. The lead line is very much in the background, though has a very nice sound to it. Arvo Urb also plays some nice percussions here.Then
we have "Kalüpso," and as you would imagine in the name, it does have a bit of a calypso flavour about it. One of the most fascinating thing about this recording is how the sampled bass played by Jürjendal can sound so much like that of Tony Levin. The bass is the star of this song really, though again the whole feel is quite in that Crimson repetition style. It does have some nice guitar lines here though, that almost makes you want to drink an extra-strong pina colada.We return
to the main theme with "Manifest II," which finally shows Jürjendal off a bit with a nice electric acoustic guitar lead line. It does move more electronic as it goes on, but it again has some nice layered guitars that create a nice mosaic of sounds. It ends with a strange talking section. Then it goes to the only song written on the CD by Urb, "Kuu lõpp." This long piece -- very calm for the first few minutes, except for some background percussion bits by Urb -- is very much percussion-oriented. Urb finally gets a chance to let loose a bit and show what he's made of, with some fascinating and cool parts. It is a bit of a strange song, I must say -- with some odd sampling stuff from Jürjendal throughout. It does drag a bit, if you don't really care for too much Frippetronics-like stuff. The solo for the last few minutes of the song does again bring out some fantastic stuff from Jürjendal, nice to hear after minutes of repetitive stuff.The final
piece on the CD is "Hiljem." It's a quiet sound-effect song, very much Frippetronics all the way. It sounds like before a Fripp gig when he lets this endless loop run with the sound effects. Great stuff to have if you want to have an ambient time if you can manage to loop this thing without the CD song break...To sum
it up, you either like this or not. If you like 1980's King Crimson, especially Fripp stuff, you'll probably like this a lot. It is a fine piece of music, with some exquisite and crafty compositions. However, for those who don't really like the repetitive structure of '80s Crimson, it could be a bit long at times. Drummer Arvo Urb is featured too little, which is a shame. But nevertheless, a fine piece to enjoy.Mel Huang
Tallinn, Estonia
25 December 1999
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