Review Summary: Even ground with an occasional hill
One of the progressive rock giants Yes can be compared to a dormant star. The unsurpassable classics the band created in the 1970s and a part of the 1980s forever etched their name in the music history books. But, as it is always the case, as time goes by the line-ups begin to rotate and with (or even regardless of) this the music changes too, most often, not for the best.
Only two members still remain in the band that were a part of the classic line-up – guitarist Steve Howe and drummer Alan White. Following the departure of spectacular and distinctive vocalist Jon Anderson, Yes shared the fate of those left without the voice that became a calling card. Just to name a few examples the latter include
Uriah Heep,
Marillion,
Van Halen, and the not less distinguished and like-minded
Genesis (obviously, the period after
Phil Collins left the band). Usually this leads to a loss of something essential, and all that is left is a name, as well as long-faded grandeur, style and musical discoveries.
When listening to a new album from Yes one gets a feeling of something forever lost, even though all of the ingredients seem to be in place. Long tracks consisting of many parts, with one segueing into another. Tunefulness, elegance, orchestral scope, and sublimity. High and tender vocals. Musicianship.
But that is not enough, you also need to have great songs. Moreover, if we talk about Yes, there should be a rock component. And it is not easy to reach the heights established by Anderson to be able to play in the same field.
Probably, only the opening
The Ice Bridge gets the closest to the band’s classic tracks. In style it is the 1980s prog rock and possess the fastest tempo on the album. Its fascinating and mathematically precise guitar riff seems to be aligned with the burst of solos, and that lets the song to open up in the second, instrumental part, allowing to take it in in the same breath.
After this Yes the prog rock band transforms into something along the lines of prog art pop. Majority of the cuts are rather faceless and blend together, not least because they are performed in more or less one tempo. The tracks are not tiresome, and quite pleasant to listen to, but it is not enough to stand out (both in mind and heart). The orchestral additions do not help, even though they are a rather significant part. And so
Dare to Know,
Minus the Man,
The Western Edge,
The Living Island and
Damaged World just pass by. A straightforward art folk of
Sister Sleeping Soul with its flutes and peasant melody, and stylization after
The Beatles on
Mystery Tour that sounds more like a
David Bowie track but without any charisma, do not help to turn the impression around. Neither does
Leave Well Alone, a decent track with its outro feeling like an improvisation adding a slight jazzy flavor.
It should be noted that Jon Davison is really lackluster as a vocalist. His singing is not very varied, and definitely fails on the aggressive and dramatic fronts, coming off as a sub-Anderson. This leads to a paradoxical conclusion – had the band released a fully instrumental album it would have been better. All these mid-tempo songs have neither accelerations nor slowdowns, no ferocity and rush. All excitement and involvement are only from the guitar. The LP has some solid solos and great riffs thrown around, but yet again all of this is done carefully and timidly, trying not to cross the expected boundaries.
As a result,
The Quest doesn’t have a single splash, it is disgustingly even.
Nevertheless, this uniform valley possesses a few treasures (besides the first track).
Future Memories has an excellent chorus and very reminiscent of the Gilmour-era
Pink Floyd. Even Davison manages to break free out of his dark emotionless cell.
Music to My Ears is also quite pleasant. It contains several elements that are rather well balanced – pop, psychedelia, progressive and symphonic rock. Vocals, guitar and synth form a kind of waltzing marriage and greatly convey an airy, heavenly mood.
So was the album worth releasing? Yes and no. Obviously, the band is not what it used to be, a shining diamond in the gallery of the British rock music. You cannot turn the time back, however you try. On the other hand, some of the tracks and parts show that the band found something, mixing the past and the present to produce new music. Who knows, maybe this iteration has a bright future ahead that will shout a loud yes to the subsequent releases. Let’s wait and see.
