Music from Air - Steve Unurh

Music From Air (Steve Unruh, 2014)

1. Overture - 3:46
2. The Measure That's Missing - 4:40
3. Broken Love Song (feat. Dylan Paul, vox) - 3:58
4. Ghost Song (feat. Granvile O'Neal, vox) - 5:34
5. Astral Shards - 5:04
6. Salamander Swing (feat. Stan Kessler, trumpet) - 1:41
7. Silent Crescendo (feat. Jennifer Coville, vox) - 4:24
8. Life Without Pain - 6:16
9. Orchestral Theme from Air (feat. Lawrence Chamber Orchestra) - 3:10
10. Overcorrection - 2:50
11. Donnie's Punk Marching Band Tune (feat. Dylan Paul, vox and the BRC Brass Band) - 2:43
12. Dusk - 1:52
13. Hey There Love Tonight (feat. Granvile O'Neal and Laura Cossey, vox) - 3:51
14. Air Minor Blues (feat. Stan Kessler, trumpet) - 3:38
15. Escape - 2:26
16. The Measure That's Missing (String Quartet Version) - 3:17

An independent artist's soundtrack to an independent musical, Music From Air is about as legit as it gets. I still need to see the movie at some point, but I wanted to hear the music first. With such a diverse song cycle covering folk, jazz, country, classical, doo-wop, hard rock, punk, rap, and blues, the album defies the odds of its incredible breadth and coalesces into an organic and unified whole.

The solo Steve songs here are fantastic.  "The Measure That's Missing" is a sharp-edged, high-octane rocker that's just breathtakingly fun. The instrumental "Astral Shards" weaves a mesmerizing delayed guitar pattern into dramatic guitar and violin solos. "Life Without Pain", "Dusk", and "Escape" are poignant, beautiful ballads that showcase introspective melodicism, while "Overcorrection" is a treat - some white boy rap with fun rhythmic play in the 5/8-over-4/4 chorus.

The guest artists are just as delightful.  All the vocalists are exceptionally talented. Dylan Paul brings infectious exuberance that turns delicate and fragile on a dime. Granvile O'Neal has a warm and tender style on "Ghost Song".  I wanted to hear him duet with Steve, but if we have to choose duet partners, I'm glad we got the outstanding Laura Cossey on "Hey There Love Tonight". Jennifer Coville's performance on "Silent Crescendo" mixes self-deprecation, disappointment, anger, and resignation to fine effect.  Stan Kessler's trumpet work on the jazzy "Salamander Swing" (which also features an awesome bass solo!) and "Air Minor Blues" is top-notch, as is the BRC Brass Band's performance on "Donnie's Punk Marching Band Tune" and the Lawrence Chamber Orchestra in "Orchestral Theme From Air".  Of course, Steve wrote and arranged it all, and he plays every other instrument on the album, including acoustic and electric guitars, bass, drums, piano, keyboard, violin, flute, and I'm sure I'm missing several instruments...

Perhaps the best testaments to the high quality and depth of this diverse album are the opening and closing tracks. The "Overture" incorporates overt themes from at least five of the songs, with stylistic shout-outs to several more in its brief three and half minutes, yet it sounds like a single musical work.  Meanwhile, on the other end of the album, the string quartet version of "The Measure That's Missing" transforms the high-energy aggression of the original into a calming, gorgeous instrumental that makes the melodies entirely new. Such a fantastic ending to an exceptional album.

Arbitrary rating: 5 out of 5 melodies made new

A Life Within A Day - Squackett

A Life Within A Day (Squackett, 2012)

1. A Life Within A Day - 6:36
2. Tall Ships - 6:18
3. Divided Self - 4:06
4. Aliens - 5:33
5. Sea of Smiles - 5:25
6. The Summer Backwards - 3:01
7. Stormchaser - 5:27
8. Can't Stop the Rain - 5:48
9. Perfect Love Song - 4:04

Side projects from Yes's outstanding bass player Chris Squire are few and far between, but thankfully they are multiplying in the 21st century. This album is a collaboration between Squire and classic Genesis guitarist/solo artist Steve Hackett. Those familiar with the 80s are probably seeing red flags, since the last time Hackett joined forces with a Yes man, this happened. But not to fear, these veterans bring their storied and seasoned experience to a set of truly outstanding songs, untempered by ill-advised pop-stardom-seeking.  (In case you clicked on my malicious little link, here's something to take that sound out of your ears.)

These two just sound so natural together.  The album sounds fantastic, with their vocals meshing perfectly in a series of mid-length progressive songs that mix the best of classic Yes and Genesis with strong songwriting, Beatle-esque melodic harmonies, and Led Zeppelin stomp. Steve Hackett's guitar work is simultaneously tasteful and jaw-dropping, laying down atonal jazz solos one minute, emotive slide the next, blistering rock around this corner, calming classical around that.  And Chris Squire's bass playing is hungry, athletic, and beautifully highlighted throughout. Complemented by the keyboard playing and arranging of Roger King and the tight drumming of Jeremy Stacey, A Life Within A Day is a treat.

A sense of light-hearted humour (British spelling required) underlies the proceedings, whether it's the self-referential poke at their respective bands' 70's glory days on "Aliens", the cheeky Hamlet-bashing on the upbeat "Divided Self", the Ukrainian Bell Carol quote in "Stormchaser", or the gloriously sunny chorus of "Sea of Smiles", the pervading warmth sets these songs a step above the sum of their (quite considerable) parts, which means any qualms about supergroup pitfalls can be put to rest. A superb album from two of progressive rock's trailblazers.

Arbitrary rating: 5 out of 5 senses of light-hearted humour

Heaven and Earth - Yes

Heaven and Earth (Yes, 2014)

1. Believe Again - 8:02
2. The Game - 6:52
3. Step Beyond - 5:34
4. To Ascend - 4:44
5. In A World Of Our Own - 5:20
6. Light Of The Ages - 7:41
7. It Was All We Knew - 4:13
8. Subway Walls - 9:03

Fifty-five years after their first album, and the only constant is change.  With new vocalist and songwriter Jon Davison of Glass Hammer fully integrated into the creative process, there is a sense of exploration on this album. Where 2011's Fly From Here seemed a bit more controlled and intentional, Heaven and Earth has the doors wide open in the best Yes tradition, playing with styles and genres for the sake of play, with mixed results.

Overall, the tone is light, even poppy, with focus on vocal melodies, harmonies, and the trademark Yes instrumentation. The older guys bring simpler, easygoing song structures, like Chris Squire's "In A World Of Our Own" or Steve Howe's "It Was All We Knew", both of which have more in common with late-60s rock than prog. A sense of warm nostalgia pervades many of the songs, with no musical idea rejected because it's not "proggy" enough. But don't get me wrong - there are plenty of elevated musical moments, particularly in the stately Davison composition "Light Of The Ages" or Davison and Geoff Downes' dramatic and mystical "Subway Walls". The tension between comfortable backward glances and musical stretching provides some interesting moments, though perhaps the mixture weakens the impact of the album as a whole.

The strongest element for me is the vocal performance.  Davison, Squire, and Howe harmonize beautifully together, especially on the soaring chorus of "To Ascend" or the anthemic "The Game". The instrumentalists are not to be missed, either.  Howe's guitar work is amazing as always, alternating freely between finger-picked acoustic backing, spidery electric solos, or emotive slide guitar.  Chris Squire's bass playing remains at the top of my list, and he sculpts great lines to accent and supplement each song.  Geoff Downes flexes his synthesizer, organ, and piano prowess, while Alan White's drumming is a treat, especially in the 15/8 instrumental break in "Subway Walls".

The weakest element for me is the sound. I don't know what it is, but it just seems like I should be hearing more sonic depth in these songs. Maybe I'm going deaf... Though I listened to some songs back to back with songs from Fly From Here, and I'm pretty sure I'm not going deaf.  The sound here is airy, a little muddled and indistinct, which is frustrating for a band whose music demands crispness and clarity.  The aforementioned "Subway Walls", the most exciting and exhilirating track and the most in line with the "classic Yes" ideal, illustrates the sound problem best.  It opens with a multi-layered Baroque keyboard extravaganza from Downes which frustratingly sounds more like video game music than the epic soundscape it needs to be.  During the verse, Howe, Squire and White play an aggressive stop-time unison riff that comes off a bit muted, as if they were playing in another room.  Worst of all, when the 15/8 instrumental break comes, it starts with Squire alone, pumping away on a gorgeous distorted bass line that can barely be heard, to the point where the first time I listened to the song, I thought it had stopped abruptly.  Then a click track comes in, of all things, and it can be heard loud and clear, though it's in the wrong time signature (plain old 4/4)... surely something went horribly wrong?  Did the sound engineer know a bass solo was happening there?  Who knows... the song is so good otherwise, I'll get over it.  And that really epitomizes my feelings about this album.  Fun songs, some great songs, great performances from the band, but something just sounds off.

Arbitrary rating:  4 out of 5 wide open doors