I'll echo the sentiments that this album is quite vocal-heavy. I realized this the other day when I was listening to some of it while showering, then while getting dressed for work. There weren't any major instrumental sections in the songs, and when there were, they were short. I sort of expected some grandiose musical excursions in the middle of these sprawling epics, but seeing as how they divided the longer songs into 2 or 3 tracks, it's apparent they did so because each track has a good deal of vocals, and they aren't simple just movements within a piece, movements that may or may not be instrumental in sections.
I was kind of hoping a bit of CTTE or Relayer with these long tracks, or even the obvious comparisons made to TFTO, but there's a lot instrumental-breathing room on there, too. Not that Jon's vocals aren't bad, but I was kind of hoping to see Roine and the other players get a chance to flex their musical muscles, but given that the vocalist is the one who wrote nearly all of the music, it's no wonder he wrote music that would give him the most amount of time to sing and vocalize. I don't blame him, though. This is one of his biggest releases in years, so I'm sure he wants to sing his heart out, so good for him. But given the amount of famous players on this album, it's a shame that they don't really get a chance to shine beside, or ahead of Jon and his voice.
All that aside, it's still very pretty, beautiful music, but it's also a lot of Jon's whimsy, and not much else in terms of what made Yes, as there aren't and real rip-roaring guitar solos, extended keyboard excursions, and in-your-face bass grooves. Everything feels...nice, and pretty, and at-times, fragile (no pun intended) and glass-like. It's like a thing, glass musical vase - looks great, holds beautiful flowers and has a lot of bright colors and shapes, but it's not very heavy or hard-hitting like a rock or brick, it doesn't have the kind of OOMPH you hear in some Yessongs, like "Heart Of The Sunrise", "Sound Chaser", or parts of "Awaken". Those had great moments of being soft, but also brilliant moments of spastic instrumental exercises.
I'm sure this album will do well as the year progresses, being featured in many fans' and critiques' Top 10 lists, and it'll probably win an award or two, but to tout this as "Yes music" is only a thin veil of a label, simply because Jon is involved. Sure, he wrote music and lyrics for Yes, but this one was mostly Jon and some friends (that I've never even heard of) writing music over years and years, then letting Roine and company cover it with embellishments to Jon's liking, and that's not really how Yes worked (I think...).
Honestly, I had kind of hoped this was a strictly JOINT venture, 50/50 on music and lyrics, with even Roine singing. Or heck, even a Yes-inspired album by Roine, with help from Jon, and Jon on vocals. Couldn't you imagine some TFK songs sung by Jon?! THAT would be something to pay for, and something I'd like to see. Jon singing on TFK epics like "Stardust We Are" or even "The Truth Will Set You Free" - THAT would be an amazing kind of album.
-Marc.
Topic: Jon Anderson & Roine Stolt - Invention of Knowledge (Read 18874 times)
