Upcoming Tracks: “Cut From The Stars” – Yes (2023)

Cut From The Stars is the lead-off single from iconic Progressive Rock stalwarts Yes and their upcoming album Mirror To The Sky. For prog fans everywhere, this news engenders all sorts of fanfare and excitement. So let’s chat about it.

But first the let’s take a listen to the song itself:

Allow me a bit of background noise for a spell:

Background Noise: Mills and his History with Yes

I plunged back into new Progressive Rock music around 2015, after tapping out for a good long while. And if you were to ask me what was the last new Yes album I bought, I’d answer with the seminal 90125. You know, the one with the big 80s smash “Owner of a Lonely Heart” and other FM radio staples like “Leave It”, “Changes”, “It Can Happen”.

I bought the record as a young teen in 1984 or something. And that was the end of new Yes albums for this kid.

Don’t get me wrong, over the ensuing years I returned to classics like The Yes Album, Fragile, and of course Close To The Edge (what the Dinobots over at the Steve Hoffman Forum insist is “Rock’s Greatest Achievement” or something therein). I even enjoy Tales From Topographic Oceans quite a bit more now than I did before.

But any new music from Yes and Yes-adjacent projects left me cold… if I bothered giving any of them my time at all.

Cut From The Stars

Which brings us to 2023’s Cut From The Stars, their latest single. Upon the news of its release, I wasn’t entirely sure who exactly was in Yes anymore. I won’t rehash the band’s history, line-up changes, revolving door members, and the like. And besides, my approach was to simply listen to the new song as-is, with no preconceived notions or baggage.

And honestly, I found myself really enjoying the track. Cut From The Stars feels like what Yes in 2023 should sound like: a natural extrapolation of the band’s sound and feel, but without any kind of Rick Rubin-esque nostalgia-overloaded callbacks. It’s not “I’ve Seen All Good People”: Part IX” or “Starship Trooper Redux” by any means.

But it sounds like Yes to my ears.

Vocalist Jon Davison draws comparisons to original Yes vocalist Jon Anderson, but his delivery has presence, weight, and clarity. The late, great Alan White and Chris Squire will always be missed but drummer Jay Schellen and bassist Billy Sherwood lock down a tight, punchy rhythm block. Sherwood”s work is especially notable here.

Stalwarts Geoff Downes and the great Steve Howe comprise the “living legends” of the band. The easy line is to smirk that this is more Asia than Yes, but leaving the snark aside they both bring their talents in service of the song, and it works well here. You won’t be bombarded with any kind of frenzied virtuoso theatrics, but rather guitar and keys that blend equally into the song’s collective soundscape.

Overall Cut From The Stars surprised me with its quality. Is it a great song? Does it even have to be, or is “really good” good enough? Well it’s enough to get me anticipating the full album’s release in May,. Perhaps enough even to revisit Yes’s recent catalog. Baby steps yo.