Yes has released ‘Circles Of Time‘, the third single and closing number on their brand-new 2 CD studio album, Mirror To The Sky, out now from InsideOutMusic/Sony Music.
Davison, Billy Sherwood & Jay Schellen, has previously issued ‘All Connected’ and ‘Cut From The Stars’ an single, and you can watch the videos to all thre singles right here at RAMzine.
guitarist, and producer of Mirror To The Sky. “We kept the continuity in the approach we established on The Quest, but we haven’t repeated ourselves. That was the main thing. As Yes did in the seventies from one album to another, we’re growing and moving forward. In later years, Yes often got going but then didn’t do the next thing. This album is demonstrative of us growing and building again.” For the band, that next thing has been described as “a collection of high energy, intricate, lush and layered new studio songs for an album which adds to the band’s much heralded legacy, while charting a path to exciting future times ahead.”
Mirror To The Sky is available on several formats, all featuring artwork by long-time Yes artist & collaborator Roger Dean: Ltd deluxe electric blue 2LP + 2CD + Blu-ray artbook with poster,Ltd deluxe 2CD + Blu-ray Artbook, Ltd 2CD digipak, standard CD jewel case, gatefold 2LP + LP- booklet and digital album – The Blu-ray editions include the album as Dolby Atmos, 5.1 Surround Sound, Instrumental Versions & Hi-Res Stereo Mixes.
CD1 features the tracks: ‘Cut From The Stars’, ‘All Connected’, ‘Luminosity’, ‘Living Out Their Dream’, Mirror To The Sky’ and ‘Circles of Time’. CD2 features: ‘Unknown Place’, ‘One Second Is Enough’ and ‘Magic Potion’.
The album can be ordered here.
When wrapping up The Quest, Yes found themselves with song sketches, structures, and ideas that were demanding attention. Receiving unconditional support from InsideOut boss Thomas Waber, who encouraged them to keep going in the studio, months before The Quest would even go on sale. It was like throwing gasoline on their creative fire.
“When we delivered everything, and they were just getting the vinyl and everything into production for manufacturing, we were still very much in that creative zone,”explained Howe. “That belief that Thomas had in us really meant a lot,”
“We truly get along as people,” said Jon Davison. “I feel like everyone’s focused inward to the greater circle, concentric to the core of highest standards that define Yes. It’s a wonderful thing to witness and of which to play a part. I believe this reflects vibrantly in the music and the creative input that each one is willing to apply, not for the benefit of the individual, but for the greater whole that is Yes.”
“There was a lot of material floating around because the band hadn’t done anything in the studio for so long. Ideas were just copious,” said bassist Billy Sherwood. “The pace of it was fast. As soon as we were finished with The Quest, and the mix had come out, we took a couple of little breaks there to catch our breath. But there was still music flowing around in the loop. It was just constantly being looked at and worked on. As we were all home and in that mode, things started progressing quite swiftly. We just went one album into another without really announcing, ‘Hey, we’re working on a second record right now.’ We just continued to work on material. It came about pretty naturally, and then we refined it as the process went on. But the initial bursts — there was a lot of material around!”
Much to everyone’s delight, including that of long-time fan Thomas Waber, Yes has apparently pushed into territory they practically invented — the prog rock epic — albeit in a thoroughly new and modern way. “I always felt that it would be great to have stuff that’s a little bit more epic,” he said, although he resisted the temptation to push for something that would be too formatted and could come off as contrived. He just gave the band space to do what they do and let things develop. “They were so excited by The Quest and the momentum they had that they went straight back into the studio. What they were writing, even early on, was obviously headed in that epic direction — what Yes music really is to me. It is almost a genre onto itself. It is ‘Yes music.’ Mirror To The Sky certainly is Yes music.”
Mirror To The Sky features not one, but four tracks clocking in at over eight minutes, with the sweeping and cinematic title track coming in just shy of fourteen minutes. What’s more, the tracks, like Yes’ best, are said to take the listener on a wide dynamically ranging journey of soundscapes that also showcases the individual musicians involved.
Jay Schellen, who has been touring with the band since 2016, was hand-picked to step into his mentor and friend Alan White’s role when White sadly passed away in 2022. “I had done the 2016 Topographic Drama tour on my own for Alan,” says Jay. “From late 2017 onwards, we had a partnership, and a beautiful partnership, I might add. I learned so much, and discovered so much about Alan’s style, and why it was the way it was. It fit his personality so perfectly. This album has Alan’s presence all over it. It is inside of us. So, this is still, in my heart, Alan just being present and with us, and with me, in a big way.”
Regarding All Connected’, vocalist Davison said: “It’s a longer piece, clocking in at a challenging 9 minutes. Steve added a beautifully poignant instrumental steel part which starts the journey. This section emotionally builds and crescendos into a glorious lead way for the vocals to begin telling their story. Billy composed complex and compelling musical themes which I helped to arrange, and we both composed vocals and lyrics, each of us singing our respective parts, making for a rich vocal tapestry.”
Bass player Sherwood himself noted: “The initial idea came from a musical sketch I’d created using the idea of our “connectivity” in regards to communications in the modern age. It’s very exciting to know Yes are maintaining that edge and energy we all know and love, this track is firing on all cylinders. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did creating it.”
Yes has announced UK tour dates for 2024 that you can find more about at RAMzine here.
