DAVID SYLVIAN & ROBERT FRIPP: THE FIRST DAY

David Sylvian's pairing with Robert Fripp was a great move for his music. While Sylvian's solo albums are nice, none of the albums I've heard had any element of power to them. Here, right off of the heels of "The Construction Of Light", Fripp plays with an energy we havent heard from him since the seventies.

The songs are mostly a mix of Sylvian's rhythmic adventures and Fripp's (and Gunn's) wild soloing. Theresult is the ballsiest music you can find from Sylvian. The first five tracks are all excellent. From God's Monkey through 20th Century Dreaming we get some fine wordplay from Sylvian, some outrageous guitar work from Fripp, and cool rhythms from Gunn & drummer Jerry Marotta. My only complaint on these tracks is that Firepower, as good a song as it is, and 20th Century Dreaming meander a bit too long at the end.

The last two track are something of a letdown. Darshan, at 17 minutes, is way too long. The song itself is basically a hip-hop style rhythm, with some Frippery over the top. The lyrics are minimal, and the song goes absolutely nowhere. And Bringing Down The Light is just another track of Fripp's ambient noodling.

But five great tracks out of seven adds up to a good four star album.