The Brothers Herlihy have finally followed up their 1999 debut A Masque Of Shadows with this collection of new compositions, live material, and assorted archival gems given slight repolishings. Craig (vocalist, keyboardist, flutist, bassist, drummer and player of many other string, key, wind & percussive instruments) and Brian (lead guitarist) waste no time and offer up two brand-new compositions in the form of "Mesmerize" and "Ghan Buri Ghan," recorded in their brand new studio, built post-Masque. The first is instrumental, and meets a tribal beat with folksy flute, analog bass, marimba and acoustic guitar. A beautiful piece "Mesmerize" is, which is no easy title to live up to. The second is nearly instrumental, but the only words uttered are the title's mantralike namesake. Both tracks reflect the smokey tavern mentality that I'd hoped would be tapped for Peter Jackson's Lord Of The Rings trilogy, but that was not to be. Sweeping orchestrations fill a lot of space, but lacks the character that this music quantifies.
Next up is a live half-hour exhibition of their 'Maiden Voyage Trilogy' as performed on the 17th of April in 1999, at Durgin Hall in Lowell, Massachusetts. The studio versions of these songs are found on A Masque Of Shadows, and hence the live versions feature then-drummer Brad Dillon. "Maiden Voyage" (5:44) and "Return Voyage" (2:51) are faithful renditions, but the centerpiece, "The Brook, The Mirror, and The Maiden" is stretched out to twice its length, at twenty minutes! These versions score a bit more ferocity, but the now epic-length inner-trilogy trilogy (say that quickly fifteen times) sounds even better. Craig's long tenure on piano, solo and with Brian & Brad, shows what an accomplished pianist he is, in addition to his proficiency on flute, mandolin, and everything else. Brad's impeccable timekeeping only leaches joy from this live delivery, since he's no longer a spoke in the Yoke.
The Seer's third & final act, for now, is to resurrect four tracks recorded many aeons ago (1995), that were collectively released as Yoke Shire's first EP, now long-OP. The spirit of Stormwatch surfaces on "24 Hours Past," in which Craig fires off a harmonica solo that will singe the hairs of your brow. The track also takes a decidedly funky turn. Brian's fuzzed power chords conjure up the "Mystical Mistress"—a very enjoyable MOR rocker with a slick church organ solo; Craig sounds like [ZZ Top's] Billy Gibbons when an excess of reverb is used on his pipes. The two-minute ditty "Dogfight" is the byproduct entirely of Brian's electric guitar and speaks for itself. The acoustic introspection of "A Seer In The Midst" skirts the fringes of turbulence and harbors an eerie calm during its nine minutes on-air.
In conclusion, I feel A Seer In The Midst is a bit more diverse than A Masque Of Shadows and serves as a better introduction for the newbie. The live material adequately represents their 1999 full-length debut, excepting that album's title track. Aurally, Yoke Shire's music truly sounds great, and the listening experience is enhanced via headphones (this is even advocated in the booklet). I eagerly await Yoke Shire's next full-length studio recording.
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
