ARC OF LIFE

Arc Of Life FRONTIERS

A FRESH-SOUNDING COLLECTION HIGH ON SONGCRAFT.

Yes splinter group make an impactful debut.

It only takes a little eavesdropping on social media to see that it’s becoming increasingly difficult for some Yes fans, who’ve been waiting patiently for new music from the group, to be enthused by their back catalogue being repackaged on yet another live album. Enter Arc Of Life, whose impressive line-up comprises current Yes men

Jon Davison on vocals, Billy Sherwood on bass and vocals and Jay Schellen on drums, with Dave Kerzner on keyboards and guitarist Jimmy Haun, who played on with Yes on Union and with the supergroup Circa.

Inevitably, expectation and the weight of history hangs heavy on their shoulders, so listeners should do them a favour and try to take this self-titled debut album on its own terms. For, importantly, Arc Of Life is a fresh sounding collection high on songcraft and imbued with a subtle complexity. The Magic Of It All effectively defines their signature sound with melody lines that keep circling round and a seamless feel to the structures even when they collectively navigate some tricky rhythmic shifts.

There’s a lot of incident condensed into that song’s four minutes, including some brief but flamboyant outbursts from Haun. But Arc Of Life is more about empathetic ensemble playing and less about grandstanding. Sometimes Sherwood’s bass sounds like it’s in charge, while Schellen plays some tight funky figures punctuated by big, old-school rolls around the toms. Davison often subjects his vocals to effects, and his duet with Sherwood’s grainer tones on

I Want To Know You Better gives extra texture to their most straightforward song. The production is less digitally sharp and in-your-face than one might expect, with the instruments set slightly back in an atmospheric, reverbheavy haze.

You Make It Real has an 80s pop vibe and an infectious melody, but they deploy more instrumental firepower on Just In Sight with its dramatic stops and starts, and stacked-up vocal harmonies. This expansive approach is extended on the near 10-minute Locked Down. Talking With Siri, is a droll tale of a hapless chap who falls in love with his digital voice assistant, although overall the lyrics carry non-specifically positive sentiments like: ‘Chances come once in a lifetime embrace the magic of it all’ and: ‘We dream therefore we are’.

It’s quality stuff, but ultimately there’s that elephant in the room trumpeting the question: how does this near-relation compare? Let’s just say that if this review was appended with a ‘Like this? Try this!’ recommendation, Arc Of Life fans would be guided in the direction of… Yes.