Yak was originally founded in those heady days of the early 1980’s when prog rock was undergoing a “revival” by young artists keen to keep the flame of quality, innovative music alive, refusing to pander to the plethora of corporate rubbish. As is all too common with acts not signed to labels, work and circumstance took the protagonists away from the music and on to, well, life as we know it, Jim.

Martin Morgan, though, was determined to bring the music to the public, and in 2004, by now the project a singular entity with him a multi-instrumentalist, Yak released Dark Side of the Duck.

Come 2025, and we have album number five, The Pink Man and the Bishop, the cover alone attracting me to the work, with the background showing a typical bucolic English country scene. I played the title track on my radio show of 19th July and was glad when I was asked to publish a few words about this project. You can get the CD from the website direct at https://www.yaksongs.com/ (link to purchase at the foot of the homepage).

There is an introductory video which I embed below giving a personal background to the album, with some interesting thoughts (not entirely positive) on the the future of our society.

So, six regular tracks and a couple of bonus pieces. Let’s discuss.

The title track, as I said recently played, starts us off, and from the beginning, it is lush, everything filling the room with warmth, gorgeous guitar solo and synth soundscapes, the embodiment of English pastoral symphonic rock. If I had not heard Morgan express his (at best) agnosticism, I would have held this piece up as a firm representation of a classic CofE attendee, believer, and social conservative (note the small c).

Crimson Camel follows. The guitar dexterity is up there with the best, the instrument a natural extension of the player’s being, it is full of depth and emotion. Classic prog, for sure, but imbued with a refreshing originality, the darker synths particularly noticeable to these ears in places before the core symphonia reasserts itself, the use of a piano as emotional descriptor, a melodic bassline to die for, a nice improvisation to take us out. The track is embedded below for you as a solid taster of what you can expect from this wonderful work. If you love Camel, Phillips, classic Genesis, you will be all over this.

Heaven’s Gate has an opening passage so dreamy, a space symphony, guitar influenced by Gilmour in his introspective moments, and when the suite moves into its primary passage, it has that orchestral impact that only the finest progressive music is capable of moving you, taking you to a special place, away from the horrors of this world.

Long, Long Ago follows. A homage to movies of the days gone by, when plots developed with a beginning, middle, and end, whilst you watched the protagonists, as opposed to two hours of CGI-driven pulp. There is a sense of wistful regret at our present state in the first half of this track before a mellotron bursts open the piece into the “action scene”, Tony Curtis and Bert Lancaster bursting through the wall in pursuit of the villains, the bass absolutely pulsing, the dramatic choral voices moving us to the conclusion amidst a sparse organ.

Maddox Street follows, this located in Mayfair, London, the most expensive area on the Monopoly board. I ate at a Michelin starred Indian restaurant there several years ago, when we went to see The Who in London. The credit card groaned under the weight for some time. As with the district, this is a busy song, the Hammond organ dirty and relentless, underneath the bass guitar again driving us forward, the exponent of this clearly a maestro in his craft, a track the old Canterbury brigade would smile at and admire.

The album proper closes with The Best Years, and traditional prog fans will lap up the organ and mellotron infused opening passage, the guitar then entering the fray with a wonderfully complex set of riffs, the bass holding this up perfectly at the other end of the scale. Is this a celebratory remembrance of the formative years of the writer? I think so, because it is extremely upbeat and sunny in its execution, not a lament at all, and do I detect, despite the cynicism on the future health of humanity, a deliberately upbeat passage before the dreamy conclusion?

There are two additional tracks. First is an extended version of Aragorn, the heir of Isildur, which originally appeared on the debut album, Dark Side of the Duck, and to close, The Flight of the Noldor as a bonus track, referencing the kindred of elves, so both taking inspiration from Tolkien.

The former features Gary Bennett on bass and Dave Speight on drums and is sweeping and panoramic. Take a look at the 2009 reworking embedded below.

The latter is a decent length bonus, just short of the official epic margin, and is a pastoral rock track with distinct echoes of classic period Genesis, the guitar work especially, alongside flutes, the dense mellotron, swirling organ and again, the bass guitar just holding it all so well very much in the manner of a Rutherford before a sax is introduced, the track taking on a heftier cleft, so some interesting contrasts here.

Yak’s fifth studio effort is a very good album, one which I have no hesitation in recommending to you.