Search - Fractal :: Continuum

This you will like!

Guy Incognito | San Francisco, CA USA | 12/09/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Rather than compare it to anything else, simply listen to the music. You will find that you like it, and want to hear it again.Seriously!"

Accept comparisons

Jeff Hodges | Denton, TX United States | 02/16/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"One can hardly blame Fractal for "doing the King Crimson thing" almost to a fault. The members met through Elephant Talk, the names of their songs are all nods to King Crimson music, and the album cover is obviously Red-inspired. They wear this influence on their sleeve, and cleverly enough, this allows them to get away with being pretty much flat-out derivative of Crimson's recent work. In fact, as their name implies, they would not be out of place as one of the late '90's "fractal" ProjeKCts that King Crimson briefly evolved into. So we should get this out of the way: If you like instrumental King Crimson, you will at the very least find Continuum interesting, if not darned good. For a trio that doesn't actually have any Crimson members in it, Fractal does a respectable job of capturing most of the thickness and complexity of that body of work. They soundscape. They play in crazy meters. They can be heavy. They are emotional and darkly passionate. They got chops galore. However, Continuum is not without flaw. On an all-instrumental album like this one, sound should a major consideration. Overall, the guitars and synths sound great, but the boxy electric drum sounds stand in the way of an otherwise airtight production. King Crimson's drummers have all used them to some extent throughout that band's career, but in all cases all the drums were allowed to sound electric. It seems like Fractal's drummer is playing a whole set of electrics like they were acoustic, and that the recording would be better served by an acoustic set with some electric expansion. Case in point: the use of electric cymbals. There are far too many subtle nuances to the sound of ringing metal for me to ever really be convinced that a triggered sample is superior or more responsive, and there are some potentially emotional moments on Continuum that are held back by unconvincing cymbal sounds. I am also very curious about Fractal's live component. Fractal is obviously made up of high-caliber musicians, but I would be interested to see how these arrangements are performed. There is a lot of vertical depth and complexity that would be difficult for a trio to perform. If they are as true to these recordings as King Crimson's are to theirs, Fractal is indeed worthy of respect. The lowdown: I dislike mentioning another band's name in a review more than the band I am reviewing, but for God's sake, if you are going to copy a group and do it well, King Crimson is a very respectable goal. All in all, Continuum is a good listen, and I am slightly envious that these guys did manage to find each other and make music like this. I wonder if they need a Stick player....."

The non-Prog Rocker's Perspective

Art Commerce | Southern California, United States | 05/17/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My tastes tend towards improvisational jazz and rock, like Miles and the Dead, as opposed to highly structured Prog, such as King Crimson and Frank Zappa; but Fractal is crisp, slick, and a lot of fun. The generous length of this CD allows the listener to become immersed in their musical world the same way Bitches Brew, any Dick's Picks, or Beethoven's 9th does in their respective artists' worlds. It is a stimulating place to spend some time, and I highly recommend the visit."