BLOMLJUD

They have now released a double album instead of a classic single one! Big deal. Now we have to listen to over a hundred minutes of YesMusic. But played by one of their clones.

Just as during "A Doorway To Summer", they opted for a softer approach. I'm not saying that one has to experience hundred minutes of "Wonderous Stories" but you get the idea.

Their music is highly keyboards oriented, as if it was more difficult to elaborate great guitar breaks like Steve could do. But the man is of course on another level. This album is pleasant, although mellowish and should please lots of young YesFans. Old freaks might well be less inclined to fully appreciate this highly derivative work.

To write an epic of over thirty minutes sounds quite pretentious. Even the masters did not dare to do that. To be honest, this song ("Other Half Of The Sky") is not a bad one but vocals are quite boring. This song is bizarrely more a personal one even if the shadow of who you know is there. Banks is also not forgotten during some synth passages.

But the filiation is much less obvious than during "Methuselah's Children" which is the second longest song (over fifteen minutes) and too much reminiscent of "Yes". A pastiche, frankly. There are some Renaissance sounds as well with Moonwalk: it is another pleasant moment of this long album.

I was quite curious to listen to "Yasgur's Farm". Max Yasgur was this US farmer who rent a part of his grounds for the Woodstock festival in 1969. You have to know that I consider Woodstock as one of the major event in the rock history. I discovered Hendrix, Ten Years After, Joe Cocker, Jefferson Airplane, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young etc. Strange title anyway for this psychedelic and very much seventies oriented song. One of the best from the album together with the very symphonic The Ghost Of Flowers Past.

Even if I was quite sarcastic in my introduction, I have to say that this album is better than their debut one. It is a good album which could have been even better if it would have been somewhat more personal and shorter. But I can't get thrilled with some pastoral and almost folkish songs like "In The Countryside" (maybe normal with such a title) and the closing "To Sail Beyond The Sunset".

Some songs could have been dropped ("Lady Of The Woodlands", "A Tale Of Three And Tree" the cliché "Methuselah's Children" and the poor Bluebells) in order to make this album an hour long affair. I'm sure it would have gained in consistency and would have been more attractive.

As such, three stars. Which means a good work.

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