This late-era lineup of Yes, spearheaded by guitarist Steve Howe, has crafted a competent and at times brilliant follow-up to 2021’s overlooked The Quest. As the producer of this twenty-third studio album, Howe has stepped in and helped create a soundscape in the vein of their classic material, once again recruiting Paul K Joyce to serve as an orchestral director. Howe deployed and took full advantage of the Jon Davidson/Billy Sherwood writing team to create nine more songs (that includes three bonus) – that all continually push progressive boundaries even as the band has statistically entered its seventh decade.
If The Quest was a chance to prove to fans that this current version of the band, devoid of bass legend Chris Squire could carry on and create fresh and new progressive music, then this album, produced in a relatively short window could keep the new music flowing in spite of the deeply painful loss of drummer Alan White.
Mirror to the Sky succeeds at proving the idea that Yes music will carry on long after the original members pass in a very special way. Both bassist Sherwood and drummer Jay Schellen are disciples of their musical mentors, the aforementioned Squire and White. Sherwood has nothing to prove anymore as he has stepped up and become the flagbearer of the low end but this is Schellen’s full album studio debut with Yes and it should be noted that his “it’s all in the wrists style” is eerily similar to White’s.
The album itself is quite robust and, like the mid-70s albums, features multiple songs that stretch into “epic” length. No less than four songs of the six main songs are at least eight minutes long and the title track clocks in at almost 14 minutes. The release also includes a bonus disc of material following the same release style of 2021s ‘The Quest” which are all Howe-composed selections that, while not part of the main theme, are not a step down in quality either.
“Cut From The Stars” is the lead single and opening track and was inspired by Davison’s trip to the “International Dark Sky Park” of Joshua Tree” and here Sherwood channels Chris Squire’s trademark lead running bass lines. Davison’s lyrics attempt to connect the listener to all that is big about the universe through the earth, the stars, and celestial bodies and at the same time remind us how small we really are. With a fast-paced upbeat and rocking number, Mirror to the Sky is off and running.
“All Connected” begins with that very familiar Howe pedal steel guitar sound that lifts the listener to the stratosphere. This is where Sherwood’s background vocals start to sound eerily evocative of Squire. This is the first of the four epics on “Mirror”, replete with time signature changes, full band harmonies, and more of Howe leading the journey through sonic soundscapes, this song truly jumps out at us and demands to be played on a high-end system.
Epic number two, “Luminosity” features Davison’s angelic voice that truly shines through, and the recurring theme that we are from the stars once again presents itself and begs the question “ are we listening to a concept album or simply a common theme?” This nine-minute song plays as more of a transition to keep the momentum moving and apart from that familiar pedal steel guitar that all Yes fans endear themselves to; “Luminosity” serves as a placeholder for the back half of the album.
“Living Out Their Dream,” penned by Howe/Downes punches its way back to the tempo and timbre of the opening track. It plays more as filler and does not land especially well within the framework of the overall themes of astral connectivity that the rest of the album touches on. Other than the swirling keyboard sounds reminiscent of “Yours is No Disgrace,” this is the only real skippable s, but it just does not present well and probably should have been included as a B-side instead. Luckily, the centerpiece of this entire phase follows.
“Mirror to the Sky,” is something special altogether. This title track is an epic worthy of being placed on the mantle alongside “Close to The Edge” or “Awaken?” Howe/Davidson/Sherwoods group vocals are wonderfully brought to the center and Howe’s crisp and clean production accompanied by The Macedonian FAMES orchestra, led by Paul K Joyce once again shines through. Like the other epics of their catalog, Mirror has multiple movements, led by a repeating guitar riff. The middle section is accented by Downes’ trilling piano phrasing and the different sections flow into each other gracefully. Sharp Violin shrills intermingling with Howe’s “whale whine” guitar are a breathtaking moment that precedes the thunderous orchestral outro that gives way to the band’s big finish. Is it “Revealing Science of God”? No. Does it deserve its place among the pantheon of great Yes songs? Absolutely.
The main album closer “Circles of Time”, a bittersweet acoustic ballad with accompanying strings is a very subtle and pleasant send-off for the main album. Davison harmonizes with himself during the bridge/chorus harkening back in a small way to classics like “turn of the century”. Howe’s front-and-center acoustic picking gives one a last shiver before resolving with swirling vocals layered on top of each other.
The three bonus songs on the album are all Howe compositions, “Unknown Place,” “One Second is Enough” and “Magic Potion” are all decent songs in their own right and feature Downes more prominently on Hammond organ and even a very “Awaken” sounding church organ.
Mirror to the Sky will probably not bring in any new fans based on its own merits but that is no fault of this current incarnation one bit. It builds off of the momentum from The Quest and only helps to build this band’s legacy of being able to keep moving forward even when one of the cornerstone members passes on. Rick Wakeman once declared his desire to see Yes as a band that continues long after the original members have passed and the fans are seeing that this is a possibility and one that can still keep deep care of the legacy as well as the future of Yes as an entity.
