DRAMA

Turns out I don't like Drama as much as I thought I remembered. Most likely the second or third time I heard it, I started to get into some of the music, because there are some good sections in some of the songs, mostly in "Machine Messiah", which sounds more like Nursery Cryme era-Genesis than anything Yes ever did (and hey, it even has a "For Absent Friends"- esque short piece that follows it). Yes doesn't typically do many songs in minor keys, and it's very different than the few other minor key songs they have done, and I think they do the theatrical thing well. Unfortunately, like the rest of the album, the lyrics stink, and while the upbeat, majoy key sections that have Squire singing harmonies do sound like Yes, AND Trevor Horn's voice isn't bad, Jon Anderson is sorely missing. It's interesting, though, and by far, the best thing on the album. Another song that has some good moments is "Into the Lens", whose verses I really enjoy, especially the way White's drum part stands out amidst the pleasantly poppy melody and piano part. The song, though, is plagued by a really annoying and pointless chorus that comes up too often for it being that annoying. There are a lot of people who listen to Yes that like the song Tempus Fugit, and I'm not enough of a fanatic to love the song, but it is okay. The rest of the album fails to move me, and since all songs are credited to the band, it's hard to say if this unexpected drop in quality is due to the new members, but I will at least say that as musicians, Geoff Downes and Trevor Horn are skilled, and do contribute decent parts to these very average to pretty bad songs.