Jon Anderson Survival and Other Stories Review

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Four years ago, ex-Yes singer Jon Anderson needed inspiration. This being the age of information, he figured the Internet was the best way to go about getting the inspiration he needed, so he released this plea on his website: “Musicians Wanted… Send me your music, just one minute of it will do.” The ensuing barrage of musical ideas did exactly what Jon wanted it to. He now had a body of material to write and sing to, along with a great community of musicians willing to work with him.

Jon Anderson’s new album, Survival & Other Stories, is a direct result of his collaboration with these musicians from across the globe, and the variety of sonic landscapes featured on the album really exemplifies this. There are tracks with full-bodied electronic backdrops, huge orchestras, frail and exposed piano accompaniment, and solo fingerpicked guitar parts. While providing a good variety, this was occasionally distracting, especially going from the second track, “Understanding Truth,” which feels incredibly organic with its woody solo guitar, to the third track, “Unbroken Spirit,” which has this huge electronic arrangement.

Two things tie this smorgasbord of musical sounds together, and the first is Jon Anderson’s iconic voice. His vocals do bridge the gap between the earthy and digital because, somehow, they feel equally at home in both settings. Jon chooses to add more layered harmonies in the electronic numbers to match the heavily produced sound he was working with in that setting, but not in the more sparse arrangements. For those, his voice is much more exposed, but still instantly recognizable.

Jon Anderson, whose angelic voice does show some of the wear that is to be expected from a singer who has been singing in rock groups since 1962, hasn’t lost an inch of his range. He is still able to clearly hit every note he needs to, and he actually sounds better and better the higher he sings.

Unyielding optimism as a theme in both the music and the lyrics is the other bond that holds the seemingly disparate backdrops together as a proper album. Jon’s spirituality and complete acceptance of all the world’s religions comes through very strong in the lyrics, especially in “Big Buddha Song.” In that song he thanks Buddha, Jesus, Mohammed, Krishna, and the Divine Mother, all while extolling the idea that we have heaven on Earth if we look in the right places.

Almost all of the music on Survival & Other Stories is uplifting, with only “Effortlessly” and the album closer “Cloudz” adding a more contemplative aspect to the album. One might think that this constant optimism would get tedious, but this is where the constantly-changing musical textures become an asset, maintaining a healthy level of excitement and feeling of wonder throughout. As a result, it is nearly impossible to be in a sour mood following a listen-through of Survival & Other Stories.