90125

90125 is a pretty good album. It's just not a great Yes album. When I think of Yes, I think of "Roundabout" and "Close to the Edge", not "Owner of a Lonely Heart" and "Leave It". These songs are much shorter and more direct than anything else they'd ever done. There are still some vague hints of Yes's past life as a prog rock giant, but they're all quite minimal. The musicianship is top-notch, as would be expected, and the vocal harmonies are on point, particularly on "Leave It". The brief "Cinema" is another standout, having garnered the band a Grammy for Best Instrumental Rock Performance.

There is a generous amount of '80s cheese here. Everything has a super slick sheen to it, and a lot of the synth tones (played mostly by Rabin) feel sterile. Despite all this, I'd recommend this album. The band show a sharp sense for what works in songwriting, and the music never overstays its welcome.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2019/03/24/deep-dive-yes/