Discovering Yogi was one of the happy word-of-mouth accidents that came about because of the internet. Since Yogi (Shawn Farley) and I are both King's X fans, we are on some of the same music discussion boards. After repeatedly hearing from other people how amazing his first album, Any Raw Flesh? was, I decided to check him out.
Salve is the EP follow up to that album. It contains four new tunes, two acoustic remixes of songs from the first album, and two new versions of a Beatles classic, "Tomorrow Never Knows". The remixes are the two most popular songs from Any Raw Flesh? -- "Firefly" and "My Love for Lois is Real." Both of them show Farley's ability to make the transition from electric to unplugged -- neither song suffers by being stripped down.
The new tracks are up to the same standard. "Sleeping" seems to portray a general malaise, in wishing the days would return to the ease of the past:
I'm sleeping with my eyes wide open
And I wonder where my time's gone
Every dream I ever had is broken
And I can't seem to find today.
"My Dismay" is a tale of a failed romance, while "The Ending" may be a continuation of the same thought. "Owe You" details a betrayal of some sorts, a tale of having helped someone, then having that person take advantage. All of the music here reveals some influences of Yogi: King's X, Mike Keneally, Extreme, and The Beatles. Bryan Beller as a bass player rivals Doug Pinnick in the "how long can you go?" game.
Hearing Salve makes me long for two things: 1) The next full length project by Farley and company; and 2) that King's X would grab Yogi as the opener for their next tour. If any major labels still employ talent scouts, this would be their next big signing.
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 2003Reviewed by Dan SingletonI don't like cover songs. I absolutely hate remixes. And I generally don't care for EPs, mainly because they inevitably consist of cover songs and remixes. But Yogi's first effort, Any Raw Flesh?, which sounded like a blend of King's X and Rush from someone who watches Star Wars way too much, was one of my top five picks for 2001. That impressed me enough to purchase his recent EP, Salve, despite…
