Three of a Perfect Pair cover

Three of a Perfect Pair

Released

The third entry in King Crimson’s early-1980s trilogy and the last album made by the Fripp-Belew-Levin-Bruford configuration feels more willfully opaque than the first two, and more sonically compressed. The title track is a romantic lament, mixed densely and claustrophobically; “Sleepless” feels desperate, while “Industry” is a clattery, grinding tone poem. “Man with an Open Heart” is the closest thing to a pop song here, but it’s a cry of despair. This is objectively excellent music, but not as enjoyable a listen as either Discipline or Beat, the first two albums recorded by this manifestation of the band.

Rick Anderson

Recommended by

Suggestions
Clearing cover

Clearing

Fred Frith
Journeys Vol. 2 cover

Journeys Vol. 2

Chris Dingman
Embrace cover

Embrace

Lafayette Harris, Jr., Roswell Rudd, Ken Filiano, Fay Victor
Gefion cover

Gefion

Jakob Bro, Thomas Morgan, Jon Christensen
Still Urban cover

Still Urban

Arte Quartett, Fred Frith
Separation Songs cover

Separation Songs

Eclipse Quartet, Matt Sargent
Desert Equations: Azax Attra cover

Desert Equations: Azax Attra

Sussan Deyhim, Richard Horowitz
Beat cover

Beat

King Crimson
Hand Eye cover

Hand Eye

eighth blackbird