A talented drummer, keyboard player and composer, Virgil Howe died aged just 41 in 2017, just months ahead of the release of Nexus, the instrumental debut album he made with his father, Yes guitar great Steve Howe.
In 2020 Howe Snr. began hunting down as much of his son’s material as he could find – ideas, demos, all-but-completed pieces – and developed these into this beautifully produced, lovingly rendered follow-up. The otherworldly title track was completed before Virgil’s death, and shows the proggy, spacey tone the pair excelled at.
Throughout, Steve adds characteristically tasteful, world-class guitar – tender acoustic (on the romantic More Than You Know and melancholy Never Less) and lyrical electric (the hypnotically languid Dirama and funky, angular Martian Mood).
Above all, as with its predecessor, Lunar Mist showcases Virgil’s involving, inventive compositional skill and striking piano/synth playing, notably the exotically melodic Mariah’s Theme and the moody Lothian’s Way. A bittersweet yet highly satisfying odyssey.
