| Mirror to the Sky | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 19 May 2023 | |||
| Recorded | 2022 | |||
| Studio | Curtis Schwartz Studio (Ardingly,West Sussex) FAMES Project Studio (orchestra) (Skopje,North Macedonia) | |||
| Genre | Progressive rock[1] | |||
| Length | 47:08 (Original Album) 63:35 (with disc 2) | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Steve Howe | |||
| Yes chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Mirror to the Sky | ||||
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Mirror to the Sky is the twenty-third studio album by Englishprogressive rock bandYes, released on 19 May 2023 byInsideOut Music andSony Music.[2]
It is their first studio album with American drummerJay Schellen as a full-time member following the death of long-time Yes drummerAlan White in 2022 (and the first without White since 1972'sClose to the Edge), to whom the album is dedicated; Schellen had frequently filled in as drummer for White since 2016, and had performedpercussion as a guest on the band's previous album, 2021'sThe Quest.[3]
Yes started work on the album shortly before the release ofThe Quest in October 2021. Like for its predecessor, guitaristSteve Howe resumed his role as producer, and the FAMES Orchestra inNorth Macedonia provided orchestral arrangements byPaul K. Joyce on some songs. The album was released on CD, LP, Blu-ray, and digital platforms, with some editions containing additional artwork by long-time Yes cover artistRoger Dean. It received positive reviews from critics, some of whom considered the album superior to its recent predecessors.
In October 2021, the Yes line-up of guitaristSteve Howe, drummerAlan White, keyboardistGeoff Downes, lead vocalistJon Davison, and bassistBilly Sherwood, withJay Schellen guesting on percussion, releasedThe Quest. In the same month Downes revealed that the group had already discussed ideas for a follow-up album, to which Sherwood confirmed in May 2022 that work on it was underway.[4][5] Later in May 2022, Yes announced that White would sit out of the upcoming 2022 world tour to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary ofClose to the Edge (1972), due to illness. White died three days later and Schellen, who had been handling most of the band's live work since 2016, took over on the drums. In February 2023, Yes announced that Schellen had become a full-time member.[6][7]
When work on the album began the band still had a lot of potential musical ideas to develop, partly due to the amount of time spent away from recording during theCOVID-19 pandemic. Howe said the group were in a strong "creative zone" at the time, and approachedMirror to the Sky in a similar way toThe Quest, but wanted the new album not to be a mere repeat of the last.[7] They started with two ideas for songs that they wanted to turn into longer pieces, which became the 13-minute track "Mirror to the Sky" and the 9-minute "Luminosity".[2] Yes recorded the album in 2022, with Sherwood and Schellen recording their respective parts in California.[2][8][9] Like its predecessor, Howe resumed his role as producer and the FAMES Orchestra inNorth Macedonia provide orchestral arrangements byPaul K. Joyce on some songs.[10] The band also continued to work with engineer and mixer Curtis Schwartz at his studio inArdingly, West Sussex.
The artwork was produced by the band's longtime cover artistRoger Dean. His design was inspired by a story that video game designerHenk Rogers had told him, which involved Rogers paddling to the middle of a lake at night during a camping trip. When the ripples of the water had settled, Dean said that "the lake became a perfect mirror to a very brilliant night sky", an experience that Rogers said was like being in space. The idea caught Dean's imagination and wanted to portray such a concept into one of his designs. He added: "I started with a horizon low down with a lot of sky but then I realised, no, I'll show with ocean in the main area with a sky just a sliver, enough to show it is mirrored. Then I decided to put in a rock formation–a viewing point for the sky."[7] An early design of the band's logo for the cover featured a colour scheme and texture based on theNebra sky disc, an artefact from theEarly Bronze Age discovered in Germany in 1999 that Howe had suggested to Dean. It was not used as the colours did not complement the rest of the design.[11] Dean was able to visit the group in Ardingly several times as he lives nearby.[9]
"Cut from the Stars" was primarily inspired by Davison's first visit to adark-sky preserve atJoshua Tree National Park with his brother and father, who encouraged him to appreciate nature. Davison praised Sherwood's instrumental ideas he had for the song, and the "twinkling" sound it portrayed to Davison made him write words relating to the sky. Davison took Sherwood's initial parts and rearranged them using audio editing software to make a new arrangement, after which the band built on it and reproduced their respective parts. Howe took what was the song's bridge and made it an instrumental outro.[12] Howe said the track is the most different of all the album's tracks in terms of guitar styles, using an analoguepedal board that had anautomatic double wah-wah effect.[9]
The 9-minute "All Connected" was co-written by Davison, Howe, and Sherwood. Davison credited ideas from Howe that were used for the introduction and ending, and for Sherwood's vocal and lyrical contributions. The pair approached the song's lyrical themes in different ways; Davison said Sherwood took on a more "technological and physical" aspect, whereby he looked at it from ametaphysical view.[13]
The group produced two versions of "Luminosity", having felt a new arrangement was needed after recording the first.[9] It features Howe playing anautoharp.[9] Its initial title was "Luminous", but it was subsequently changed after Howe, Davison, and Sherwood expanded on the initial arrangement that they had worked out and made it what Howe described as "a bigger tune".[9]
"Living Out Their Dream" features an introduction that Howe considered reminiscent ofThe Rolling Stones, and said the song has a slighttongue-in-cheek lyric. He said that everything that the lyrics describe actually happened, whether it was something he read about or was present at the time. One specific incident that inspired his lyrics was a visit to a steak and seafood restaurant where a wedding was taking place.[9]
"Circles of Time" originated from a musical idea of Davison's that Howe insisted to put on the album. The group made several arrangements of the song, including one featuring a church organ, but decided to strip it back to its more minimal form.[9]
An early title to "Magic Potion" was "It's a Good Day to Be Had by All", but Howe changed it as it sounded too similar to "It Will Be a Good Day" fromThe Ladder (1999).[9]
An update about the album came in January 2023, when Dean unveiled sketches for the cover of a new Yes album on his Facebook page.[14] A major update arrived in the March 2023 edition ofProg magazine, which featured an interview with Howe who spoke about the album.[2][15] On 10 March, Yes officially announcedMirror to the Sky on social media and their official website YesWorld, revealing the cover art, release date, and track listing. They announced that the album will be dedicated to White.[15] On the same day, the opening track, "Cut from the Stars", was released as a digital single.[15] The second track, "All Connected", was released as a single on 26 April.[16]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Sonic Perspective | 8.8/10[17] |
| Classic Rock |    [18] |
| Riff Magazine | 8/10[19] |
| Spill Magazine | 4.5/5[20] |
Gary Graff gave a positive review forUltimate Classic Rock, hailing the album as "even better" thanThe Quest with the group adopting a more aggressive and "muscular" sound. He felt Downes was "strangely absent" from the album and considered his role as a supporting player as opposed to handling lead riffs and melodies. Nonetheless, Graff wrote the album "gives us every reason to hope this is the beginning of a prolific new era for the band."[21] David Gill gave the album 8/10 forRiff magazine. He wrote the album sees Yes return to its golden era, creating a "remarkable piece of nostalgia" while sounding "fresh and vibrant". He praised the well-constructed arrangements and some "epic" lyrics in the title track and "Luminosity".[1] Spill Magazine gave it a 4.5 out of 5 stating "Yes has come together to produce a strong, uplifting, and very positive album accompanied by some exceptional musicianship. Each member demonstrates what they do best. When you have an album with several songs that are over eight minutes, everyone has the chance to really shine in their own way."[20]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Cut From the Stars" | 5:25 | |
| 2. | "All Connected" |
| 9:02 |
| 3. | "Luminosity" |
| 9:04 |
| 4. | "Living Out Their Dream" |
| 4:45 |
| 5. | "Mirror to the Sky" |
| 13:53 |
| 6. | "Circles of Time" | Davison | 4:59 |
| Total length: | 47:08 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7. | "Unknown Place" | Howe | 8:15 |
| 8. | "One Second Is Enough" | Howe | 4:04 |
| 9. | "Magic Potion" | Howe | 4:08 |
| Total length: | 16:27 63:35 | ||
Yes
Additional musicians
Production
| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[22] | 53 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[23] | 93 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[24] | 55 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[25] | 84 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[26] | 99 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[27] | 12 |
| Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[28] | 31 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI)[29] | 61 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)ERROR in "Oricon": Invalid date format. Expected: YYYY-MM-DD.[30] | 24 |
| Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[31] | 35 |
| Polish Albums (ZPAV)[32] | 62 |
| Portuguese Albums (AFP)[33] | 35 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[34] | 6 |
| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[35] | 99 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[36] | 9 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[37] | 30 |
| UK Progressive Albums (OCC)[38] | 1 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[39] | 4 |
| USTop Album Sales (Billboard)[40] | 22 |
| US Indie Store Album Sales (Billboard)[41] | 20 |
