Band : Yoke Shire

Album Title : The Witching Hour

Label : Zygo

Distributor :

Release Date : 2008

Review : 2CD

Yoke Shire is a Boston , MA band centered around the original founding duo of bros Herlihy ,   that has been around for a while now and have released two other albums so far. This is their first album that I hear, so I cannot compare the music on this album to their previous work. Let's just say that for me it was a nice encounter.

The Witching Hour consists of two cds full of smooth prog rock that combines jazz, blues, latin , and folk influences to produce a sound that is often recognizably their own. "Full moon rising" is appropriately floating with more funky horns and creepy keys wobbling across the sky, though the soft straight-ahead rock beat is present as ever. “Spiral dance” has a chorus that really grabs you with its latin fusion Herbie Hancock - ish quality, while its polished synths and horns soar in and out through the verses. “Shiver ”   and the more symphonic “ Triskelion ” have a Jethro Tull feel to it going back and forth between driving segments and trippy and mellow parts with fantastic flute parts. The title track and “A myriad of moons” seduce you with its distant flowing vocal waves and moody guitarechos . The centerpiece of the second disc is the sixteen minutes long suite, “ Dre am tea”. Very strong guitar work, nicely larded with haunting synths and firm percussive sections and the excellent voices of both bros.   “Midnight chimes” and “Again midnight chimes” emphasize into melody, these songs being into psych-eastern mood are carrying something dark, melancholic and mysterious in many of their parts.

The magical and strange thing with this recording is that its compositions will manage to take you into a witching hour-journey and that you'll come across different feelings while hearing each song. Overall, a damn fine set of tunes with lots of variety, making it thankfully hard to pigeonhole this band.

90/100