Mirror to the Sky (song)

Last updated
"Mirror to the Sky"
Song by Yes
from the album Mirror to the Sky
Released19 May 2023 (album version)
23 February 2024 (single version)
Recorded2022
Studio Yes HQ, Curtis Schwartz Studio
Genre Progressive rock
Length13:54 (album version)
7:05 (single edit)
Label Sony Music
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Steve Howe

"Mirror to the Sky" is a song by the British progressive rock band Yes, the track was first released on the bands 23rd studio album Mirror to the Sky , released in May 2023. [1] It is a near-14-minute recording, described as "sweeping and cinematic". [2]

Contents

Composition

"Mirror to the Sky" refers to tikkun olam and anima mundi in its lyrics. [3] It also features orchestral passages composed by Paul K Joyce. [4]

The track's near-14-minute length has been described as a representation of Yes' return to their trademark progressive rock format. [5] It has also been identified as the centerpiece to the Mirror to the Sky album. [6] The song's arpeggios and multilayered vocals have been likened to material from the band's Tales from Topographic Oceans record. [7] A seven-minute single edit was released on 23 February 2024. [8]

Reception

It was described as a "prog epic" by music writer Howard Whitman. [9] Writer David Pearson described the song as "atmospheric and sonically superb". [10] Wesley Derbyshire noted that guitarist Steve Howe's use of delays and reverb was "extremely evident", and potentially designed for the Dolby Atmos and 5.1 Surround Sound release. [11] Hugh Fielder of Classic Rock enjoyed the track, stating how guitarist Steve Howe has "clearly been energised and has grown in confidence", allowing the track to spread over 14 minutes after some "fine introductory guitar" and "skedaddling bass runs by Sherwood". [12]

Personnel

Yes

Additional musicians

Production

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yes (band)</span> English progressive rock band

Yes are an English progressive rock band formed in London in 1968 by lead singer Jon Anderson, bassist Chris Squire, guitarist Peter Banks, keyboardist Tony Kaye, and drummer Bill Bruford. The band has undergone numerous lineup changes throughout their history, during which 20 musicians have been full-time members. Since February 2023, the band has consisted of guitarist Steve Howe, keyboardist Geoff Downes, bassist Billy Sherwood, singer Jon Davison, and drummer Jay Schellen. Yes have explored several musical styles over the years and are most notably regarded as progressive rock pioneers.

<i>Union</i> (Yes album) 1991 studio album by Yes

Union is the thirteenth studio album by English progressive rock band Yes, released on 30 April 1991 by Arista Records. Production began following the amalgamation of two bands that featured previous and then-current members of Yes: Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe (ABWH), consisting of vocalist Jon Anderson, drummer Bill Bruford, keyboardist Rick Wakeman and guitarist Steve Howe, and Yes, at that time comprising bassist and vocalist Chris Squire, guitarist and vocalist Trevor Rabin, keyboardist Tony Kaye and drummer Alan White. The eight musicians signed with Arista and a combination of unfinished tracks by both groups were selected for Union. The album's sessions were problematic from the start, including disagreements between some of the musicians regarding the "merger" of the two bands, strained relations during the recording process, and decisions by the production team of Anderson and producer Jonathan Elias to bring in session musicians to re-record parts that Wakeman and Howe had originally completed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Sherwood</span> American singer and multi-instrumentalist

William Wyman Sherwood is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, singer, record producer and mixing engineer. He is best known for his tenures in the English progressive rock band Yes as guitarist and keyboardist in 1994 and from 1997 to 2000 and as bassist since 2015, following the death of original bassist Chris Squire. He is also known for working with former and current Yes members on other projects.

<i>Magnification</i> (album) 2001 studio album by Yes

Magnification is the nineteenth studio album by the English progressive rock band Yes, released on 10 September 2001 by Eagle Records. It is their only album recorded as a four-piece band, and their final album to feature founding member Jon Anderson on vocals. At the departure of keyboardist Igor Khoroshev in 2000, the band agreed to record a new studio album with orchestral arrangements, something they had not done since their second album, Time and a Word in 1970. The album was recorded and mixed using Pro Tools with producer Tim Weidner and orchestral arrangements by Larry Groupé conducting the San Diego Symphony Orchestra. Drummer Alan White plays piano on some tracks.

<i>The Ladder</i> (Yes album) 1999 studio album by Yes

The Ladder is the eighteenth studio album by the English progressive rock band Yes, released in September 1999 on Eagle Records. It is their only studio album recorded with six full time members and their last with keyboardist Igor Khoroshev and with guitarist Billy Sherwood for 22 years.

<i>The Ultimate Yes: 35th Anniversary Collection</i> 2003 box set by Yes

The Ultimate Yes: 35th Anniversary Collection is a compilation album by the English progressive rock band Yes. It was originally released on 2 CDs on 28 July 2003 by Warner Music in the United Kingdom. A 3 CD edition with additional material, including new recordings from October 2003, was released in the US on 27 January 2004 by Rhino Records.

<i>Back Against the Wall</i> 2005 studio album (tribute album) by Billy Sherwood

Back Against the Wall is an album released in 2005 by Billy Sherwood in collaboration with a number of (mostly) progressive rock artists as a tribute to Pink Floyd's album The Wall. A year later, Sherwood followed it with the release of Return to the Dark Side of the Moon, a tribute to Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yes discography</span>

This is a discography of the English progressive rock band Yes. Over the course of their career they have released 23 studio albums, 18 live albums, 15 compilation albums, 44 singles, and 23 videos.

<i>Keystudio</i> 2001 compilation album by Yes

Keystudio is a compilation album by the English progressive rock band Yes, released in May 2001 by Castle Music in the United Kingdom and by Sanctuary Records in the United States. It is formed of the studio tracks previously released on live/studio albums Keys to Ascension (1996) and Keys to Ascension 2 (1997).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Davison</span> American musician (born 1971)

Jon Davison is an American singer, musician and songwriter who has been the lead vocalist of progressive rock band Yes since 2012.

<i>Heaven & Earth</i> (Yes album) 2014 studio album by Yes

Heaven & Earth is the twenty-first studio album by the English progressive rock band Yes. It was released on 16 July 2014 on Frontiers Records and is the first album with lead vocalist Jon Davison and the final album to feature founding bassist Chris Squire before his death in 2015. The group started preparing new material for an album during the 2013 leg of their Album Series Tour. Davison took an active approach with the songwriting, travelling to the homes of the other band members to collaborate on songs. Yes enlisted producer Roy Thomas Baker and future Yes bassist Billy Sherwood to complete the mixing.

<i>Like It Is: Yes at the Bristol Hippodrome</i> 2014 live album by Yes

Like It Is: Yes at the Bristol Hippodrome is a live album and video by English progressive rock band Yes, released on CD, DVD, and Blu-ray on 8 December 2014 by Frontiers Records. It is their first live album featuring keyboardist Geoff Downes and lead vocalist Jon Davison in the band, after joining the group in 2011 and 2012, respectively.

<i>Like It Is: Yes at the Mesa Arts Center</i> 2015 live album by Yes

Like It Is: Yes at the Mesa Arts Center is a live album and video from the English progressive rock band Yes, released on CD and DVD, LP, and Blu-ray on 3 July 2015 in Europe and on 10 July 2015 in North America on Frontiers Records. It is a partial recording of the band's concert on 12 August 2014 at the Mesa Arts Center in Mesa, Arizona as a part of their 2014–15 Heaven & Earth Tour.

<i>Topographic Drama – Live Across America</i> 2017 live album by Yes

Topographic Drama – Live Across America is a double live album by English progressive rock band Yes, released on 24 November 2017 by Rhino Records.

<i>Yes 50 Live</i> 2019 live album by Yes

Yes 50 Live is a double live album by English progressive rock band Yes, released on 2 August 2019 by Rhino Records.

<i>The Royal Affair Tour: Live from Las Vegas</i> 2020 live album by Yes

The Royal Affair Tour: Live from Las Vegas is a live album by progressive rock band Yes, released on 30 October 2020 by BMG. It documents the group's performance on 26 July 2019 at The Joint in Las Vegas, Nevada, during their Royal Affair Tour.

<i>The Quest</i> (Yes album) 2021 studio album by Yes

The Quest is the twenty-second studio album by English progressive rock band Yes, released on 1 October 2021 by InsideOut Music and Sony Music. It is their first studio album featuring Billy Sherwood since The Ladder (1999), replacing bassist Chris Squire following his death in 2015, and their first album without any original members. It is also their first album since Talk (1994) to be produced by only one member, namely guitarist Steve Howe, and their last studio album to be released before the death of drummer Alan White in 2022.

<i>Mirror to the Sky</i> 2023 studio album by Yes

Mirror to the Sky is the twenty-third studio album by English progressive rock band Yes, released on 19 May 2023 by InsideOut Music and Sony Music.

References

  1. ↑ Album Review: Yes, ‘Mirror to the Sky’. Progarchy. 19 May 2023. Retrieved 11 December 0223.
  2. ↑ YES launch ‘All Connected’; second single from ‘Mirror To The Sky’. Yes. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  3. ↑ Yes - Mirror to the Sky Lyrics. Genius. 13 May 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  4. ↑ Yes – Mirror To The Sky: "the best Yes album in more than 20 years". Louder. 19 May 2023. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  5. ↑ REVIEW: Yes – Mirror to the Sky. Tuonela Magazine. 19 May 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  6. ↑ Yes - Mirror to the Sky (Album review). Sonic Perspectives. 1 May 2023. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  7. ↑ Album Review: Yes – Mirror to the Sky. The Elite Extremophile. 22 May 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  8. ↑ Yes - Mirror To The Sky (Edit) Lyric Video. YouTube. 23 February 2024. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  9. ↑ Yes' 'Mirror to the Sky' album is the best yet of the Jon Davison-era. Goldmine. 13 July 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  10. ↑ CD REVIEW – YES – MIRROR TO THE SKY. The Spirit of Progressive Rock. 28 April 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  11. ↑ Yes - Mirror to the Sky - Atmos / 5.1 Blu-ray immersive review. Hi-Res Edition. 17 July 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  12. ↑ Fielderpublished, Hugh (2023-05-19). "Yes: a strong start and a lacklustre finish on 23rd studio album Mirror To The Sky". louder. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.