Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Virgil & Steve Howe
Label: Inside Out Records
Release: 2017
Length: 39:41
Rating: 3/5
No, that’s not the cover of a new Matching Mole album. It’s the posthumous work of Virgil Howe, who made this record together with his father Steve.
Steve Howe is a guitar ace the whole planet loves to talk about. When he joined Yes in the early seventies, his contribution revolutionized the evolution of guitar playing in rock ‘n’ roll. With him on board, the dialogue between jazz and neoclassical forms had never sounded so smooth as on »The Yes Album«, »Fragile« and »Close to the Edge«. Howe’s own evolution wrapped up pretty quickly in the seventies, though, and the man still enjoys the immense respect due an immortal guitar legend. »Nexus« is a joint album by father and son. Virgil Howe, Steve’s son, passed away in mid-August this year, and the cause of his death was never officially disclosed. The tragedy made Yes immediately cut their North American tour short. But »Nexus« was already mostly recorded before Virgil’s death, or at least finished to the point where Steve could wrap it up. Virgil was a multi-instrumentalist, and on this record he mainly handled keyboards and drums.
»Nexus« is a textbook case of a British »little night music« album. The compositions have a polished compactness, they’re simply structured, and the album as a whole speaks to you in a completely unpretentious way. And since we’re talking about Steve Howe, standard-bearer of the guitar in the pioneering days of progressive rock, »Nexus« is really very elementary prog rock that still flirts noticeably with neoclassicism, jazz and even pop, and doesn’t skimp on a solemn, epic coloring. The tracks are short and concise, and as instrumentals they win you over very quickly.
Virgil Howe’s piano motifs sit at the core of the compositions. They’re played in a basic way, with no solo escapades or extra piano ornamentation. Steve Howe seasoned the whole thing with his recognizable trademark tricks, the ones that make him instantly and unmistakably identifiable. He has been working these tricks into new Yes music and his solo albums for years. No surprises on that front. Where needed, the man underpinned the music with programmed drums and rhythms, and in his guitar arsenal he didn’t forget to bring in the steel pedal guitar either. In his solo adventures he’s once again very measured and concise, preferring to dole out his notes carefully, which is a pale shadow of his unbelievable guitar agility in the seventies. So he’s rather sparing and comfortably settled in the compositions, as if he weren’t facing any creative challenges that could surprise a listener who knows Steve Howe’s work in any way.
The cold, largely sterile production also tells you this is an album »glued« together from several pieces.
The album feels cohesive, and the tracks carry that atmospheric sheen of solemnity, babbling along mystically and melancholically. Very British. Given that expectations are always big and high whenever Steve Howe heads into a studio, »Nexus« really brings nothing beyond strong musical appeal and, as a result, very agreeable listening. You can certainly file it under prog rock products, but as I said, it won’t please demanding listeners and music gourmets by a long shot. It is, however, perfectly suited to spin as occasional background for all sorts of daily chores that demand absolutely no mental effort.
Lineup
Virgil Howe – keyboards, piano, synthesizers, bass guitar, drums
Steve Howe – acoustic and electric guitars, steel pedal
Production
Steve Howe
Tracklist
1 Nexus (4:56)
2 Hidden Planet (3:26)
3 Leaving Aurora (3:40)
4 Nick’s Star (3:41)
5 Night Hawk (3:35)
6 Moon Rising (3:31)
7 Passing Titan (4:05)
8 Dawn Mission (5:07)
9 Astral Plane (3:37)
10 Infinite Space (2:08)
11 Free Fall (2:09)
