Conspiracy - The Unknown

[RobAdams]

I just picked up the latest from Chris & Billy. Great stuff! I'm only listening for the second time, but what a sweet listen this is. First songs that stood out above the rest? NEW WORLD, 1/2 A WORLD AWAY and THE UNKNOWN.

I'm really horrible at reviewing things I'm still not familiar with, so I'll make it easy on myself. The musicianship and production on this album are superb. The "demo-ness" of the first Conspiracy album is part of its' charm, but with "The Unknown" Billy & Chris take it to a new level beyond that. This isn't merely an offshoot of Yes amusing themselves in a studio.

The album's epic piece, the title track, makes me feel as though I'm listening to some new incarnation of King Crimson - they way a KC track with Chris Squire might sound.

Billy Sherwood is by far no slouch here. His guitar playing and voice fits in well with Squire's style, and also the other way around. Just what makes Chris & Billy a formidable team is made quickly obvious on this wonderful new album.

Bob Cosca's cover design is classy. The digipack is inside of a slipcase, and my only complaint is that this slipcase is a bit too tight. As carefully as I tried to free the digipack from the slipcase, I caused a minor dent in the spine in my quest to hear what Squire & Sherwood have been up to.

This will prove to be one of the more important YES member side projects in time. Get yours today if you can!

[Martin Riley]

For somebody who doesn't know how to review it that's a pretty damned good review, Rob!!

It's got me going, next spare cash I have I'm going to pick it up

[RobAdams]

I forgot to mention...the last track is a bonus track called I COULD. It seems that I COULD was likely an early version of FINALLY (from the YES album THE LADDER). Interesting to hear.

[Thoughtbecontact]

I just bought the new Conspiracy today and have listened to it twice. Great disc, particularly the epic trac. I'l comment more when I've listened to it more.

[nightliner]

I've listened t this several times and its a really good disc. Best non Yes Yes album I've heard in a long time.

[Ron Drummond]

I've only heard The Unknown once all the way through. But I found I had to listen to the title track again right away.

"The Unknown", at 11:21 long, is certainly THE major work on this album, and it works incredibly well as an epic. I've been eager to hear this piece since first reading about it a year or so ago -- it's Chris and Billy's response to 9-11. As such, it's NOT a profound statement, and yet it's very powerful nevertheless, especially as a sound painting of various aspects of 9-11 and the aftermath.

The chorus "melody" ("Towers of life and dreams brought down . . .") is a chromatically stepwise choral descent, and (except for the opening) it's sung twice each time, so it acts like a miniature sound picture of the towers collapsing, and as such is quite eery.

Billy plays some exquisite mandolin and middle-eastern-inflected acoustic guitar, and there are wonderful layers of percussion and keyboard. Chris sings of daily lives unfolding on yet another morning as they'd always unfolded before -- only "the future was unknown." Another extended instrumental section is shot through by first one and then a second long tube of electronically distended non-verbal choirs -- impossible to hear those raised voices as anything but the collective screams of the passengers as the planes flew into the buildings -- the most haunting moment in the entire song. Then comes a verse that, two years after 9-11, seems a little preachy, but is intended to speak to where we were at just before 9-11 (and where alas far too many of us are still at today): "You're in a dream world / This could be a nightmare."

The warning about nightmares segues directly into an incredibly creepy section, where a fast staccato rhythm takes over and the lyrics mimic the frenzied minds of the hijackers as they complete their evil plans. Again, very effective sound-painting.

The chorus returns and we hear the towers fall -- again. This leads into the first of two electric guitar solos, which I presume are the work of Jimi Haun, credited with "additional guitar" on the song and with co-writing it with Squire, Sherwood, and Billy's brother Michael (on keyboards). But it's hard to be sure who's playing what -- this first solo sounds like such a typical prog solo break. It's well-played but not very interesting. Then we hear the secondary chorus melody again, with the words changed from "The future was unknown" to "Don't fear the unknown" -- i.e., accept what's happened, "don't be afraid to bear that load", "lock and load" (which means what? Blow the unknown away?). It gets a little preachy again. Fortunately, the song goes through some incredible changes, beginning with the second electric guitar solo, which is worlds away from the first and genuinely inspired -- which makes me wonder if it's a different player from the first solo. My guess is the latter solo is Billy's.

We eventually come back around to the preaching, but then the song shifts into a flat-out parody of the gung-ho "we're gonna git you" approach to fighting terrorism -- "Waking giant cannot be denied". But, given that the song was written in the months right after 9-11, lines like "You can run away / But now we've got you dead in our sight" ring a little hollow given the alacrity with which bin Laden slipped away -- and even more so given that our borders are no more secure now than they were before 9-11. Squire fingers the mentality behind the current American regime with the song's final gleeful line, "We're bringing our toys comin' over to play."

So, despite some shortcomings, "The Unknown" is a powerful song that covers a lot of musical territory.

As for the rest of the album, I'll have to wait till I've heard it a few more times to comment, though "Conspiracy" and "New World" were stand-outs the first time around.

[Earl Grey]

Man Ron, that was quite brilliant there, your take on the repeated phrase shadowing the collapse of the towers... I haven't heard this CD yet, but will soon!

Great reviews, and now I'm REALLY excited to hear it!

[Thoughtbecontact]

Ron,
Your interpretation of The Unknown sounds like one of my musical analyses! When I play the disc today, I'll definitely be thinking about what you wrote.

[Ron Drummond]

Thanks, Earl and Thoughtbe, for your kind remarks.

Hey I figure if my review is like one your analyses, Thoughtbe, it's GOTTA be good! ;) Can you point me to one of your favorite analyses posted on Yesfans?

Earl, thinking about the chorus reminded me of something --

Originally posted by Ron Drummond
The chorus "melody" ("Towers of life and dreams brought down . . .") is a chromatically stepwise choral descent, and (except for the opening) it's sung twice each time, so it acts like a miniature sound picture of the towers collapsing, and as such is quite eery. -- the time it takes for Chris & company to sing that line is more or less exactly how long it took for one of the towers to collapse. So their musical portrait of collapse takes as long as the collapse itself! Ouch! Think of THAT while listening to the song!

[Thoughtbecontact]

Ron,
The only musical analysis I ever did here on Yesfans was the ITPO thread with Peter back in February, I think. I was mainly referring to how deep I get when I talk about Yesmusic in general.

But getting back to the disc at hand, when I was listening this afternoon, New World struck me as very Rushlike, particularly in the way Chris is attacking his bass and the energy the song exudes. As far as really listening to The Unknown, well, all hell started breaking loose around here..I've had a crappy day and I think the only thing I felt were the errie parts--so anlysis there is better left for another time.

[illusion]

I'm digging one of the tracks on the sampler in the new Spocks Beard album and it's a thumbs up - I will be buying it.

[Earl Grey]

I'm listening to 'The Unknown' right now... Hey, this is GREAT!

Fine production skills add some real gloss to this CD.

Sherwood's voice is quite 'radio friendly', sounding more like the singer from Vertical Horizon than what you might expect...
Don't let that scare you away: 'The Unknown' is certainly contemporary, but it has 'prog' written all over it. Sherwood's guitar chops are in fine form: not very 'Trevorish' here: his own style is becoming quite distinct, sometimes reminding me more of Steve Hackett than Rabin or Howe. Cool!

Squire is playing at the top of his game: the bold 'riffy' work he usually reserves for his work with YES. Remember 'Hold Out Your Hand' from FOOW? More in that vein. Excellent fretless bass on the song 'The Unknown' (I wish Chris would play more fretless work: I love those long sliding notes... What can I say? I'm a big Jaco Pastorius fan!).

This is a keeper. Not exactly 'Yesish', but quite good! And that's just after one listen. I get the feeling this is going to grow on me, and I like it already!

Ron: I was thinking about what you said about the timing of the chorus in 'The Unknown': chilling. QUite the observation there my friend!

Earlie:yesbird:

[BredYes]

I got this album a few days ago and I am really surprised in a positive way!
I thought it would be much more like Open Your Eyes, but fortunately it is not. Billy Sherwood is MUCH better than I thought. I did not like Open Your Eyes very much and I was not too impressed by his perfomances on stage. On the other hand I thought he had a few nice additions to The Ladder.
But this is something completely different....diificult to write it down in the right words. It is hard to compare with something, but I will try. At first: it sounds modern (good production!) but it is more progressive than you should expect. Indeed Billy's voice is good and a sort of radio friendly. Many parts are for two voices (with the very recognizable voice of our friend Chris). There are many instrumental parts, sometimes full of energy but sometimes very dark: but always very fresh. The instrumental sections remind me of a more accessible version of King Crimson. The CD has some very strong melody's. New World is a beautiful song with a classic Squire base line in the same category as his famous lines in Tempus Fugit and On the Silent Wings of Freedom (that means the highest category). The song reminds me a bit of the Drama record (listen to the keyboards). Sherwood has is own style, less based on Rabin's style than I expected. I am really enthusiastic about this album. It is modern, it is fresh, it is progressive, it is something new, it has Chris Squire, it has good songs. I don't think Yesfans would be disappointed if they buy it. So, go to your record store .......

[PeterCologne]

... it's not really rock, it's not really pop, it's not really prog, it's nothing of that and all of it, plus some tiny little jazz and folk influences. And isn't that precisely, what Yes is about?! The Unknow-Music, magic. Musical craftsmanship and inspiration I hear, complex details and beautiful melodies, though dark sometimes. But that adds even more excitement.

I belong to that very small group of people, who really like Open Your Eyes. And I find much of that album in Conspiracy. Most of all, Billy's wonderfull keyboard work, those deep sounds, a mixture of technique and a natural atmosphere. Not modern, never old fashioned, just timeless. And Sherwood has a fine sense for sensible arrangements. His keys are like ornaments around, behind, above and besides the guitar-picture, they melt with it. Like the keys in the best Yes-works, like Wakeman did until Tales and later one more time on Awaken, before he tried to be "the Whiz". Like Patrick Moraz did, like Tony Kaye and Treveor Rabin did on all Yes-West-albums.

I know, my point if view is not very popular, but this album is another proof for me, that Billy Sherwood would be the right keyboard-player for Yes now. And this album is proof, what a loss he is for Yes. The big fault was, to engage him as the guitar-player. Two guitar players in Yes, that does not work, might it be with Steve or Trevor. But this Sherwood is a bloody great musician - have to mention his out of reach vocals (and background vocals on The Ladder) - and loves Yes. A shame, that he is not in the band. Yes needs fresh influences, and Billy could provide that. Ok, he is not in Yes, that's life. Let's be happy, that they are around. And we have this great album. Most of what else could be said, is mentioned in the above posts. Let's enjoy.

Greetings

Peter

[Dafty Boy]

Billy Sherwood certainly is a great all-rounder. There just isn't really any room for him in Yes.
Great guitarist, already got one.
Vocalist. Got one of those.
Keyboards. I think we've got one.

I'm just not sure of his vocals. Backed by Squire he is fine, but a bit bland on his own. He also 'does a Rabin' quite often and uses too much modulation.

My only other small issue with 'The Unknown' is pehaps too many gimmicks on the production side. It's certainly very busy.

The bass-line on track 3 is awesome! Listen on the headphones.

[BredYes]

Although I love Conspiracy: The Unknown, I don't see any reason to bring back Billy to Yes. We have already a rather good guitar player and, although Billy plays keyboards on the Unknown, the more complicated solos are played by his brother Michael. This makes me uncertain if he is capble to play all the fast solos in Yes. So let's enjoy Rick.
Indeed Dafty, the bass-line on track 3 is amazing and there is a lot of good music on this album (much better than the first Conspiracy album).
On track 4 Chris sings solo and it'one of the best he ever did!

[Dafty Boy]

It sounds like we more or less agree. I think this is a great album, but no need to start a 'bring back Billy in Yes' campaign!
I love hearing Chris sing. This may be due to 35 years of backing vocals.
It seems to me that Conspiracy is more Billy than Chris, but it certainly is good.
I must admit, I would never have bought a Billy Sherwood solo album!

[BredYes]

Dafty, I think We Agree (which is a very nice song by the way)

[RobAdams]

The more I experience THE UNKNOWN the more I love it. I've heard it about 40 times already I think. I'm starting to anticipate the notes like they're old friends! If you don't have this, get it!

[Dafty Boy]

You need to post somewhere else, Rob! Everyone here already loves it!
I'm very impressed that the 2 (3) of them sound like a full band, not a part-time side project.
I've just put it on again!
'I confess, I don't want to live without you...'

[Flo]

I have just bought The Unknown today. I hit upon it in the Yes section and could not resist. This is my first time listening to it right now.
I must say I am a bit disappointed (I don't know how to say it but I hear the sound as too sharp)... although I do agree that the title track stands out nicely. I will need some more listening. I am in a sad mood these days and this may not be the moment to explore the disc.

[PeterCologne]

... if you are still in a sad mood (don't hope so), I recommend Jon Andersons Song Of Seven. It is perfect album for that. You will feel better. Another way to heal sadness can be, to listen to some positively sad music. Then you should try Steve Winwood by Steve Winwood for instance.

Greetings

Peter

[Flo]

Thanks for the advice Peter ! I am in a better mood. I was listening to Jon's Change We must... some great song there too especially Chagall Duet. I will however have another go at The Unknown.

[PeterCologne]

Thanks for the advice Peter ! I am in a better mood. I was listening to Jon's Change We must... some great song there too especially Chagall Duet. I will however have another go at The Unknown.

Good to read, that you feel better, Flo. Listened to Change We Must some weeks ago. I like especially the new songs and not so much known songs, like Under The Sun. Some interesting arrangements.

Oh yes, give The Unknown another chance, I think it is really good, with a lot of interesting details inside. But I needed some time, to discover that.

Greetings

Peter

[TRUEYOUTRUEME]

I love the Unknown.

It does has some very distinct sounds to it. Very much a punch but also very haunting in a way, almost like commercial jingles. It can easily stick in your head.

It also has some rather very nice lyrics and some interesting effect qualities. I'm already dreaming of experimenting with their songs and sound.

Squire and Sherwood have produced a powerful combo. I think there sound and style is very original, but I think it is still very Yes-like. Though I agree that the punch of the songs at times may make it sound hard in alot of song mixes.

I've been a fan since their first Conspiracy album though. I got this right away, wasn't disappointed at all.

[Erdy1]

Looks like I missed the boat on this one. I stayed far away from the first conspiracy release, but hadn't realized until today that this new release was an entirely different project. All I have to go on are the samples on the conspiracy site and reviews here and at Amazon.com, but it definitely sounds worth checking out. Thank you all for the reviews, I'll be putting it on my list.

[Earl Grey]

It's tons better than the first album Erdy: be sure to let us know what you think, once you hear it: ok?

Fun stuff up ahead for you! Sonically, it may be the best thing Squire has ever done. Some GREAT tracks on 'The Unknown'!

:yesbird:

[Soul Dreamer]

Yet another CD to buy . . Thank you for sharing these insightful comments.