2023 Yes Album Mirror To The Sky

Mirror To The Sky is the twenty-third studio album by Yes. It was released in May 2023. So, how good is it, and how does it stack up against the other twenty-two studio albums? To what extent is this a pastiche of former glories, and to what extent does it try to say something new, or, you might say, progressive?

First thing to say is that this Yes lineup is Jon Davison, Steve Howe, Geoff Downes, Billy Sherwood and Jay Schellen. So only Steve Howe remains from any of the 1970s line-ups, though of course some of the other members of the band have had a long history with the group.

First of all, let's get over "if it ain't Jon Anderson, it ain't Yes". If that's what you think, there's no point having a further conversation. It might make it worse for you that Yes singers since Jon Anderson left under controversial circumstances in 2008 have effectively been Jon Anderson impersonators rather than bringing their own new style. But then what about Drama, with Trevor Horn? Does that count as Yes?

Let's actually start listening to the album rather than waffling on. The first track is Cut From The Stars, which starts with a classic Yes melodic fragment, a device that they have used many times. And quickly we're in familiar territory. I particularly like the surprising rhythms of the vocal phrasing in sections of this song, which really elevates it. The lyrics have a mystical charm without edging too far into whimsy and spiritual nonsense. Let's answer those earlier questions. There is undoubtedly a whiff of pastiche here, but you could also argue they are honouring the band's traditions. It's not really saying anything new, I'll be honest, but I would also say I really like this song.

The second track, All Connected, is a 9-minute epic. After what sounds to me like an over-extended opening section with few interesting musical ideas it gets into its stride when the vocals start. Again, Jon Davison's voice shines through, and Billy Sherwood's Chris Squire impression is spot on. And that brings me to a point I'd like to make. That classic Yes vocal sound isn't Jon Anderson - it's Jon Anderson plus Squire. That's why Drama sounds like Yes - because Trevor Horn still has Chris Squire on backing vocals. All Connected is pretty good, full of unexpected turns in tempo and content, but like the first track doesn't vary enough in dynamics for me. It charges on through its entire length without any significant quiet moments. But, like I say, pretty good.

Regular readers will know I don't do a track-by-track review, as I don't like these to get too long, so I'll bow out with a summary. This is a polished, slightly popified version of Yes that does stray a little too much into trying to "sound like Yes". But there is some great stuff here, and it's well worth a listen.

Reasons to listen:

  • Jon Davison is a better singer than Jon Anderson. There, I've said it. Sue me.
  • Great melodic ideas, solid arrangements and good songs
Reasons not to listen:
  • If it ain't Jon Anderson, it ain't Yes
  • Jon Davison's pronunciation of Luminous is just too irritating (once you've heard it you won't be able to unhear it)

Interesting fact of the day: Mirror To The Sky was recorded partially at studios just over 3 miles away from where I am writing this blog.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New Album Stories From Time And Space By Hawkwind

So I come to Hawkwind with absolutely no baggage, which is how I'm spinning being completely ignorant of these musical giants. How I've managed to get to this age without hearing this band before I've no idea, but there you are. I can see from Wikipedia that Hawkwind's only consistent member is Dave Brock, still making music at the age of 82. I think it's really important to avoid qualifiers to reviews like "...this is impressive for an 82 year old ". The music stands or falls by itself. So I'm not going to be impressed by his age (although I am a bit). I'm two songs in, and it's not what I expected. The sound is structurally straightforward but full of ideas and variation.  The second song, The Starship, is full of energy and even though it's basically two chords its groove manages to hold the attention for the nearly 8 minutes of the song. The singing is not to the forefront, clearly Dave's voice is, not suprisingly, not holding up pa
Read more

Bigger On The Inside By Rachel Flowers

Oh my goodness I am listening to something amazing. I have just discovered, through a random association on Amazon Music (I was listening to Jadis), the incredible Rachel Flowers, an American multi-instrumentalist and composer. There's an excellent mini-bio on IMDb which I've linked below. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5231044/bio/ Composer is important, because these songs are not thrown together in five minutes. You can hear the thought and craft that went into them. On top of that, she's a great singer. And her lyrics are excellent! How do I describe her music? Well, it's definitely progressive rock. Extended themes. Three of the songs are longer than 10 minutes and the album clocks in at 67 minutes. The melodies, though, are out of this world. There's an American twist to some of them which at times reminds me of TV theme tunes, but in a good way. Kind of progressive rock and soft jazz. Track 7, for example, "The Darkness" has a sublime refrain which bui
Read more

King Crimson Discipline

This album was released in September 1981 and you may well argue it's not a progressive rock album at all. It's certainly a long way from 1970s Flutes and Fairies. It is clearly influenced by Talking Heads. Remain In Light was released in 1980 and the stylistic influences are clear. Adrian Belew, King Crimson's singer on this album, worked on Remain In Light of course. Its emphasis is on rhythm rather than harmony, which dominated earlier King Crimson. The first song Elephant Talk really sounds like Talking Heads, Belew's vocal delivery almost a direct copy of David Byrne. But the instrumental arrangement takes it to another level. Fripp is clearly delighting in trying something new. In the second song, Frame By Frame, I can detect some XTC influences. Something about the vocal line strongly reminds me of Andy Partridge. I absolutely love this song. The third song, Matte Kudasai, sees a distinct change of mood, and you could be tempted into thinking it's quite strai
Read more