MAGNIFICATION

After a lesser nineties for Yes, releasing albums of modest or irregular quality and little repercussion, the unexpected "Magnification", their seventeenth album (2001), begins the new century with a new twist to the legendary band's musical proposal, revitalising at least partially their declining image of that time.

A work in which, although there are some themes of greater brilliance than others, it maintains a homogeneous line of development and, as a relevant fact, with the surprising absence of a keyboardist, something unthinkable given the importance of synthesizers for the sound aesthetics of the English in their times of splendour, being replaced by outstanding orchestral arrangements. And the final result is more than acceptable, assuming how complicated it would be to conceive pieces similar to those of their glorious early seventies (almost three decades do not pass in vain...).

After a correct beginning sustained by attractive melodies but exempt of major complications like the initial "Magnification", or the direct "Spirit of Survival", or the catchy "Don't Go", the best moments of the album appear from the cinematographic and very orchestrated "Give Love Each Day" and "Dreamtime" (in spite of its unnecessarily long duration), Chris Squire's first time on lead vocals on "Can You Imagine", followed by the mastery of Steve Howe and his acoustic and electric guitars on both the reflective "We Agree" and the diaphanous yet emotive "Soft as a Dove" well accompanied by Jon Anderson's gentle singing and, above all, by the mini suite "In the Presence Of" which, without losing composure at any point, flows naturally throughout its four segments. Surely the best track on the album.

The sweet and brief "Time is Time" closes "Magnification", which ended up being the only album released by Yes in the 2000s, and also the last one in which the irreplaceable Anderson would be part of.

3.5 stars