Yes - The Quest.

Yes

The Quest

(InsideOut)

7.5/10

By Paul Davies

As an ongoing musical entity with an unparalleled heritage, Yes has constantly mutated, with new and old personnel coming and going, and modulated their sound over the decades as they continue to reshape their sonic formations. And the Quest mostly succeeds in reflecting their singular mood boards of sound and song. This iteration of the band, led by the redoubtable Steve Howe who also produces this record, seems to have ditched the widescreen epic compositional approach. Nevertheless, they still challenge the listener, less in the minutia of detail stretched to its furthest limits, but with a lighter melodious touch on the tiller steering the good ship Yes on this first studio recording without the much-missed Chris Squire. Much like Benoit David before him, Jon Davison’s impressive vocal phrasing partly steals the show and, as the fourth vocalist to sing for this venerable group, he confidently establishes himself at the front of the band with his impassioned vocals.

Every Yes album possesses a grand statement and, with its ecological forewarning of humanity's extinction, opener The Ice Bridge fulfils this and, in 'exponential ancient overdrive', it also contains a grandiose lyrical statement to boot. Its opening 'Fanfare' synth motif heralds in a song that resonates with a similar musical feel found on To The Moment from a previous band line-up. Further nods to their recent past suggest that they have taken note from Magnification’s intelligent blend of orchestra and band, as the rather captivating jazzy/odd meter to Dare To Know finds Howe's soaring guitar and orchestral interplay riveting. This approach continues on Minus The Man in which the future of humanity is further explored and, again, the musical muscle memory of Magnification is felt in its arrangement.

Encountering a new Yes studio album should be like discovering a new landscape of strange and exotic sounds dwelling harmoniously together where imagination takes flight, and the atmosphere is rare, and The Quest doesn’t strictly disappoint. This is a highly enjoyable album that reveals itself over many listens. There are many memorable melodies and strong songs that, nevertheless, require more ballast to anchor the floaty and airy nature of the production. 

The Quest might not please a few of Yes’s febrile fans who OCD nit-pick over the musical body of the band. They may rightly point out the annoying synth intro, which repeats, to Leave Well Alone is a title that should have been taken to heart on an otherwise appealing folk/prog song. However, this album retains the band’s notable collage of sounds but not necessarily in the order some might come to expect.

As to be expected, there's plenty of imaginative arrangements and expanded passages that underpin and shape most of the memorable melodic musical motifs. Steve Howe plays a guitar masterclass and Jon Davison asserts himself with his pure vocals particularly on The Western Edge which contains more prog/folk undertones. It's also fabulous to hear Alan White gracefully locking down these tunes. Decades of craft coupled with a contemporary compositional approach ensures that this album isn't a clinker. It resounds with a complex purity we have come to know from this prog giant.

Then again, the devil is always in the detail and Chris Squires’ towering charismatic presence is undoubtedly missed here and nothing can be done about that. The nagging feeling is that The Quest would greatly benefit from some searing synthesizers and imposing keyboard work to embolden the compositions that float in the upper sonic range and have a few too many 'poppy' overtones. Plus, the second disc is a largely forgettable indulgence of weak outtakes. However, the true nature of these engaging compositions will continue to please the ear of anybody with an open mind to a band that straddles the decades and onwards. Not up there with their greatest, neither down there with their worst, The Quest is a fine album that sits comfortably into the more than acceptable area of their extensive canon of works.