MUSIC REVIEW: YOMI SHIP – Pyramids of Yonaguni EP

Shane | 20 August 2020 | Reply

MUSIC REVIEW: YOMI SHIP – Pyramids of Yonaguni EP
Nala Music
August 2019
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
80%

A prog rock instrumental EP themed around the mystical sunken pyramid of Yona-guni off Taiwan may not be everyone’s idea of easy listening, but Yomi Ship’s third release is not your average prog rock instrumental EP. It is themed around that mysterious pyramid, believed to be a remnant of a city sunk, Atlantis-style, in an earthquake some two millenia ago.

Titled deliberately in the plural to suggest the possibility that more such structures may exist under the waves, Yomi Ship’s EP is full of exquisite musicianship, elaborate sonic experiments replete with time changes and a trance-like quality. One can only suspect that the writing and jamming stages of composing this material might have been done in a smoky haze, so ‘out there’ it is.

At this point we should stress that ‘out there’ does not mean inaccessible. There is nothing belligerently or brutally heavy to the band, it’s not so experimental or psyched out that it isn’t a groovy listen to have in the background when you’re doing the dishes. I’m sure some people will get a kick out of laying out the snacks, donning the headphones, and following this twenty-seven minute trip without interruptions or distractions – but it doesn’t have to be like that if you’re not of a mind for that. Cool tunes are cool tunes: don’t let the ‘prog rock’ label turn you off.

Influence wise it would be easy to cite early Pink Floyd as a catalyst for their trippy wanderings, (and indeed, the band do on their website, alongside The Mars Volta) but there are far more facets to this musical jewel than just that. With an average age of around twenty, Yomi Ship have three weird and wonderful Eps under their belt already, and a strong feeling that the best is yet to come.