Happy with what you have to be

Progressive Rock conjures images of cheesy Roger Dean album covers and long keyboard heavy songs that sound like they should be backing some 2 hour video close up of a vase with a monotone french voice over (apologies to Ian Shoales). King Crimson is not that. Pushing 35 years of existence, KC have more in common with Korn and Tool than with Yes and Alan Parsons. Happy With What You Have To Be Happy With (EP) kicks off with another attack on traditional song structure and language (singing about the process of creating the song "We're gonna need to have a chorus/I'm gonna have to write a chorus") in the tradition of "Elephant Talk" and "The World Is My Oyster Soup Kitchen". The acoustic take on "Eyes Wide Open" is beautiful and lush, while the segues are so brief that you aren't sure if they are intros/outros or distinct pieces unless you're watching the track numbers on your player.

The EP has a feel more like VROOM or THRAK than Red, which of course makes sense given the band format of double-trio and all. Their take on a blues-based standard rocker (Potato Pie) must be heard to be believed. It's unnerving to hear such a tired motif revived in such an unexpected way. There is the requisite return to "Lark's Tongue in Aspic", which is done well as ever. Exiting as it enters, "Clouds/Einstein's Relatives" deconstructs "Happy With What You Have To Be" as seen through Alice's looking glass.