Aurora
Yes · Progressive Rock
Reviewed 2026-06-12
The Roast
“Tabriklar, Yes. Siz o'zingizning 24-chi studiya albomingizni chiqardingiz, bu yo insoniy chidamlilikka bag'ishlangan yodgorlik, yo menejerlaringizdan hech biri 'yetarli' so'zini aytishni bilmasligining isboti. Aurora 2026-yilda InsideOut Music va Sony orqali chiqadi va Jon Davison The Quest hamda Mirror to the Sky bilan birga 'trifecta' deb atayotgan narsani yakunlaydi. Trifecta, Jon. Bu ot poygasi atamasi. Siz Czech National Symphony Orchestra ni tezkor qo'ng'iroq ro'yxatida saqlagan prog-rok guruhisiz. Metafora budjeti ilhom kabi ingichka cho'zilgan. Louder Sound buni allaqachon payqagan edi, bu plastinkani 'haqiqiy ilhom o'rniga mushak xotirasiga tayanadigan' albom deb atagan, va rostini aytsam, bu kvitansiya achitadi, chunki mushak xotirasi aynan shu albom qanday eshitiladigan: besh juda iste'dodli professional o'z uy studiyalaridan, masofadan ishlash orqali har doim qilgan narsalarini qilmoqda, chunki Classic Tales of YES gastrol safari hamma qatnashganlarni shunchalik charchatganki, bitta xonada bo'lish endi imkon doirasida emas edi. Haqiqatni aytganda, Geoff Downes 2025-yil boshida Aurora 'oxirgi bir nechta albomdan ko'ra ancha progressiv yangrashi'ni va'da qildi, ha, Vladimir Martinka boshqargan to'liq simfonik orkestr keltirdingiz, demak ambitsiya texnik jihatdan qog'ozda mavjud. Lekin qog'ozdagi ambitsiya va lentadagi ambitsiya ikki butunlay boshqa narsa. Glide Magazine diplomatik tarzda 'notekis sayohatga qaramay porloq lahzalar' borligini ta'kidladi, bu tanqidchilar tilida: yaxshi qismlar rostdan ham yaxshi, qolganlari esa kiyim kiygan to'ldiruvchi. O'nta trek va 'Jambustin'' va 'Watching the River Roll' nomli ikkita bonus qo'shiq shuni ko'rsatadiki, siz g'oyalardan quruqlikda qolmadingiz, balki mavjud g'oyalarni tahrirlashdan bosh tortdingiz. 'Jambustin'' fiber qo'shimchasi uchun rad etilgan nom kabi yangraydigan bonus trek nomi, va siz uni shuningdek ochiq yashil vinilda ham chiqadigan deluxe artbook nashrida joylashtirdingiz. Estetika mukammal. Tanlov haddan tashqari saxovatli. Steve Howe portugal 12 torli gitarini oladi, bu albomning eng qiziqarli ijodiy qarori va xonada birov qulay emas, balki qiziquvchan bo'lganday his qilingan yagona lahza. Roger Dean va uning qizi Freya Dean badiiy bezakni boshqaradi, va albatta u ajoyib ko'rinadi, chunki Roger Dean hech qachon Yes albomini vizual jihatdan xafa qilmagan, hatto ichidagi musiqa suzib o'tishga harakat qilayotganida ham. Siz o'z do'koningiz orqali uzum rangli vinildan 500 nusxa sotdingiz, bu 'bukiluvchi stoldan tovar sotayotgan guruh' tarzida jozibali. Aurora Yes muxlislarini sevadigan va Yes muxlislarining uni shartisiz sevishini kutadigan plastinka, va ularning eng sadoqatlilari uchun bu shartnoma juda yaxshi amalga oshadi.”
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The Bright Side
Steve Howening portugal 12 torli gitarini olishi albomning eng hayajonli lahzasi va bu guruhning qandaydir joyida haqiqiy qiziquvchanlik hali ham yashaydigan isbotidir. Czech National Symphony Orchestra haqiqiy orkestr og'irligini qo'shadi, bu plastinkani sof nostalgiyadan yuqoriga ko'taradi va Prog Report uni Jon Davison davrining eng kuchli albomi deb atashda yanglishmadi. Roger va Freya Deanning badiiy bezagi kutilganidek go'zal va ba'zi an'analar aynan shu holda saqlanishga loyiqligini isbotlaydi.
Hardest Sneer
“24-albomingiz shunchalik qulay-ki, aslida ong hosil qilib shippak so'ragan.”
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Issues (4)
Muscle Memory Is Not a Creative Strategy
Receipt
Louder Sound called Aurora an album 'relying on muscle memory rather than real inspiration,' and the remote home studio workflow used to develop it suggests the band never even had to look each other in the eye to make creative decisions.
Fix
Get in a room together. Physical proximity creates friction, and friction creates choices. The Portuguese 12-string moment proves Howe still has surprises in him when he reaches for something unfamiliar. Build a whole album around that instinct instead of one track.
The Trifecta Nobody Asked For
Receipt
Jon Davison described Aurora as completing a 'trifecta' with The Quest (2021) and Mirror to the Sky (2023), framing three albums in five years as a planned artistic arc rather than what Glide Magazine politely called an 'uneven journey.'
Fix
Trilogies need internal contrast to justify the concept. If you are going to sell three albums as a unified statement, the third entry needs to feel like a culmination, not a continuation. Define what Aurora resolves that the first two left open, and make that resolution audible.
'Jambustin'' Is a Bonus Track Title, Not a Song Title
Receipt
The album ships with two bonus tracks: 'Jambustin'' and 'Watching the River Roll.' One of these sounds like a spontaneous studio experiment that was correctly identified as not quite album-worthy and then incorrectly included anyway on a premium deluxe format.
Fix
Bonus tracks on a deluxe artbook edition should be rarities that reward serious fans, not jam sessions with playful names that undercut the orchestral seriousness you spent the rest of the album building. Cut 'Jambustin'' or rename it something that belongs on the same record as a Czech symphony orchestra.
The Grape Vinyl Is Doing More Marketing Work Than the Music
Receipt
A grape-colored vinyl limited to 500 copies sold via the band's official store is a smart collectible move, but when the most talked-about aesthetic choice on a release is the color of the physical format rather than any specific musical moment, your packaging is outperforming your songs.
Fix
Let the music generate the conversation and let the vinyl be a reward for people already converted. That means front-loading press coverage with the Czech orchestra arrangements and the Portuguese 12-string work, not the color of the wax.