Roppongi means six trees in Japanese.

How apt that a group with the name Stick Men would have something to do with trees.

Roppongi is also a nightlife district in Tokyo. In February of this year, the band played there and this album is one of the releases available documenting those shows.

Stick Men is a band composed of two members of King Crimson: Tony Levin and Pat Mastelotto, along with Markus Reuter. For these shows Crimson member Mel Collins joined them.

It is safe to say if you like the musicality and technical skill of the work of King Crimson, you will like the Stick Men, This band is not a “replacement” for Crim nor is it a “better/worse” option in regards to Crim, but rather it is an extension of that band, a continuation, a musical thread that connects.

On this release they even do some King Crimson songs.

This is a wonderful recording for a live show. The sound is sharp and clear, the placement of the instruments made me feel like the band was right in front of me. Crowd noise is at a minimum and is in the appropriate places. It could be a studio album at times. And the technical skill in the execution of the music, well heck, like KC, it blows me away.

This group has a few releases under its belt and I’ve seen their name around but this is the first time I’ve actually listened to them.

Nothing here seemed overlong and there were enough things going on musically to keep my ears listening.

If you like King Crimson, check out Stick Men. This release is a fine place to start. I think you’ll stick around.

Tracklist:
1. Hide The Trees 07:09
2. Lark’s Tongues In Aspic, Part 2 06:07
3. Sepia 09:33
4. Sartori In Tangier 06:14
5. Crack In The Sky 05:29
6. Horatio 04:11
7. Prog Noir (1st show) 06:14
8. Ookami 09:38
9. Level 5 (1st show) 06:56
10. Roppongi (Soundcape) 06:35
11. Schattenhaft 04:46
12. Industry 11:05
13. Mantra 05:20
14. Prog Noir (2nd show) 06:14
15. Shiro 10:08
16. Sailor’s Tale 07:44
17. Level 5 (2nd show) 06:51
18. OPEN 10:35

Album available now in various formats.

Band Members:
Tony Levin: Stick and Voice
Markus Reuter: Touch Guitars® AU8, Soundscapes, Keyboard
Pat Mastelotto: Acoustic and electronic Drums and Percussion
Mel Collins: Saxophones, Flute

Label: Moon June Records

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/stickmenofficial/

Bandcamp https://stickmen.bandcamp.com/