ALTITUDE

There have been some wonderful releases so far in 2021 from some awesome progressive rock groups. But, for me, Lifesigns "Altitude" - this is my favorite.

Lifesigns are one of those sort of "super groups" for sure. But the difference is; it no longer sounds like "a project" - it now sounds like a solid Rock Band. One direction, one thought, oneness. This release is one of those very few and far between releases, that is both complex - lengthy songs, but also, memorable melodies. I found myself on just the second listening of this, singing along, already having memorized some of the passages and melodies. That doesn't happen too much in the progressive rock element.

I'm sure others will write about each song, so I won't - except, "Last One Home." The entire song is fantastic, but the guitar solo had me shedding tears of joy, even on the first listening. Subsequent listening's have brought the same response. It is glorious and up there with the gods of the genre's guitar solo's. Dave Bainbridge should be very proud.

John Young should also be very proud of the entire bands performance in this magnificent release.

As I said earlier, John Young's "project" has turned into a fabulous Rock Band. Thank you guys, and thanks to great production to bring this altogether.

Website info. "Veteran keyboard player John Young (The Strawbs, John Wetton, Bonnie Tyler, The Scorpions, Fish, Uli Jon Roth, and others) realized in 2008 that he had never done a pure prog album. The band Lifesigns is the direct result of that realization. In 2010, John recruited longtime friend Nick Beggs (Kajagoogoo, Steve Hackett, Steven Wilson, Rick Wakeman, others) to play the bass and Chapman Stick and drummer Frosty Beedle (Cutting Crew) to complete the trio. Their first album, Lifesigns was released in February 2013, featuring guests musicians Steve Hackett (Genesis), Robin Boult (Fish) and Thijs van Leer (Focus). The band started touring the following year with Jon Poole joining to replace Nick Beggs who had other commitments. The line up was completed by former Steven Wilson guitarist Niko Tsonev. Fifty shows were played over the next year with highlights being appearances at Cruise To The Edge in the USA and Night of the Prog at Lorelei in Germany as well as the Ramblin' Man and Cropredy festivals in the UK. In addition to this Live In London a DVD and double audio CD were released. In 2017 a new album entitled Cardington was released, it was funded via a pledge music campaign that met its target in just 48 hours. The album features guest appearances from Robin Boult (Fish), Dave Bainbridge (Iona) and Menno Gootjes (Focus). Niko decided to pursue his own solo career after having played on the album, and he in turn was replaced in the band by Dave Bainbridge on guitar and second keyboards. February 2020 saw the release of the single Impossible, a radio friendly edit of the track from Cardington, which brought the band to a new audience. June 2020 marked the end of Frosty's time with the band and the arrival of Zolt'n Cs'rsz, and in January 2021 Lifesigns released its new album Altitude which was crowd funded via this website."

This is my first musical encounter with Lifesigns, the new album (close to 55 minutes) is highly recommended by many of my prog friends so I was very curious to Lifesigns its music. Well, after a few listening sessions I am impressed: outstanding musicians, an excellent recording sound, melodic, harmonic and very accessible music, and well crafted compositions, I would like to pigeonhole it as 'radio friendly modern progressive rock'. Especially the tracks Gregarious (catchy beat, pleasant vocals and awesome work on keyboards and guitar), Shoreline (swinging mid-tempo with swirling violin and fiery guitar) and Fortitude (tight beat with flashy synthesizer flights, swirling violin and powerful guitar). Other (more shorter) tracks are dreamy: Ivory Tower (mellow romantic first part, finally rock guitar), Arkhangelsk (soaring keyboards) and Altitude ' Reprise (dreamy vocals and violin).

My highlight on this new album is the epic titletrack, the most varied and dynamic one. It starts dreamy with warm piano and vocals. Then an accellaration featuring a tight beat and sparkling synthesizer flights, followed by a harder-edged guitar solo and topped with pleasant vocals. Now back to a mellow atmosphere with tender keyboards, a violin joins, I am blown away, what a wonderful sound, very intense! The musis turns into a tight beat with organ and harder-edged electric guitar, Kansas comes to my mind. Halfway more dreamy with a high pitched female choir sound, blended with slide guitar and warm vocals. The second part delivers a beautiful guitar solo, sensitive with howling runs, goose bumps. Finally dreamy with spacey synthesizer flights and melancholical violin work, what a strong and alternating composition.

Another good song is Last One Home, build around a long guitar solo, reminding me of Andy Latimer with the mindblowing instrumental Ice, very moving and compelling, Guitar Heaven!

I am sure this excellent and accessible new Lifesigns album will appeal to a wide audience!

And here it is...

The brand new album "Altitude" of the amazing superproject "Lifesigns". They came in our world, to stay for good. Precious souldrops everyone needs, is given as a gift to all of us. Detailed production with sensible melodies, strong rythm and feeling, and deep , very deep sentimental journey. What we have here , is a bottle of a very rare good wine. Enjoy the full album , not one or two songs. This journey will be a big satisfaction for your ears...

Many thanks, to John Young, Dave Bainbridge, Jon Poole, and Zoltán Csörsz , for their beautiful soul vehicle. We are lucky, in difficult times we leaving, to have so good musicians. We need them, very much...

I've known Lifesigns since around 2015 when I stumbled upon their debut album 'Lifesigns'. Well, I'd actually owned it for about a year but only had one listen through in a busy year for me. One evening I played it again, this time more attentive and Wow! I played it again and loved the rock/jazz fusion, the Yes overtones in 'Fridge Full of Stars', and the racing finale of 'End of the World'. Next step was seeing them 'live' and meeting some wonderful fans of theirs. Through them, I've made new friends and met John Young himself who is about the most genuine and personable rock god you could ever meet! So by now you may think this is not entirely an unbiased review. You could be right. 
With another brilliant album 'Cardington' in 2017 (reviewed elsewhere), Lifesigns started to lay down their credentials and strengthen their music with the addition of Dave Bainbridge, guitar extraordinaire (and another most personable guy). Ripples along the grapevine caused their fanbase to grow and soon their gigs were becoming family reunions and community events. Their Facebook fan page (Esprit De Corps) has become a great meeting place in these difficult times. When John Young (leader and keyboard player) announced 'Altitude' as their next album, a crowdfunding campaign was launched and within days had reached its target - -such is the support, loyalty and enthusiasm of their fans. And so the great day arrived this March (2021) for its launch. After all the hype and build-up, would we be disappointed? Would it become a musical step too far? How would the new drummer adapt? Would the remote recording of this album in these difficult times prove to be technically too stretched? Answers to all four questions: - No! In fact, we were all blown out by the album. Lifesigns have truly gone up a level. Never had I known a fanbase react so positively, genuinely and emotionally. There are tracks on this album that evoke emotion and bring people to tears - me included. There are guitar solos by David Bainbridge that Mr Gilmour would be proud of. John Young's keyboarding towards the end of 'Fortitude' against a phenomenal and powerful layer of bass always brings a tear. The songwriting, the amazing bass lines by Jon Poole, the genius and complex drumming of new drummer Zoltán Csörsz (ex-Flower Kings) make this, for me at least, a classic album which I haven't yet tired of playing. As someone once said to John Young - "you were born too late". Had Lifesigns produced this in the 70s, they'd be rivalling Yes, Genesis etc etc. But now people are starting to talk about them as this year's big discovery in Prog.
 I will admit that in my 50 years of loving Prog Rock, listening and seeing hundreds of bands, there have only been 4 bands that have made a huge impact on me - Yes, Genesis, Pink Floyd, Pendragon and now a 5th band has joined that elite ?. Lifesigns. I won't go into a track by track analysis of 'Altitude' because, in my opinion, they're all amazing but it's you that need to discover them for yourselves. The songwriting, the musicality, the quality of the production - you discover something new with each listening. My personal favourites amongst all these great tracks are 'Fortitude,' and 'The Last One Home'. The 15 minute epic 'Altitude' kicks the album off and many fans are citing this as their favourite track and this doesn't surprise me. The songwriting on it, the guest musicians and singers, bring another superb layer to this Lifesigns' production. Which gives me the opportunity to introduce the 5th member of the band, Steve Rispin, master sound engineer and musician who tirelessly and doggedly put this classic album together and boy!, does it show! Even though I'm a fan myself, I like to be genuine and sincere in my recommendations. I also considered carefully the Star rating I should give but the emotion and pleasure that this album gives me made it a no-brainer. 'Altitude' is simply a Prog album you must have in your collection and all reputable radio stations should be playing tracks from it. So, if you want to discover a massive contender for Album of the Year, buy this CD or get the download from the Lifesigns website. Then go and see the band 'live' and join a wonderful family. You won't regret it.

Altitude is the third studio album by Lifesigns, the progressive project started by John Young, the keyboardist and vocalist who has worked with a plethora of stellar prog artists, notably Jon Anderson, John Wetton, Fish, and The Strawbs. On this, he is once again joined by Dave Bainbridge on guitars and Jon Poole on bass/vocals, alongside new drumming recruit, Zoltán Csörsz.

There is quite an eclectic mix of styles and composition here, but the honourable mention must go to what must be one of the finest ballads ever put to disc, Last One Home, a quite gorgeous paean to the power of nature, and man's mastery of it. This features precisely the kind of lush melodies, a beautifully understated at first, rising and peaking in intensity as it progresses, guitar solo by Bainbridge which should appeal to admirers of Latimer in particular, and atmosphere which ticks every single box for me. Sumptuous and a standout for the year, the closing passage in particular is deeply moving.

And what of the rest? The title track opens proceedings, and is also the longest at 17 minutes if one includes the reprise at the close. Young is a master of his keys, and the piano especially is rather lovely. There are some haunting backing vocals by Lynsey Ward before the track segues into its major passage. All four play as a really tight unit, and Csörsz in particular stands out for a rather excellent drumming performance. The track includes some nice violin and cello solos by guest artists, and altogether this is a sublime atmospheric piece of music, perhaps let down a little bit by some out of place forays into more jazzy territory in the second third, although this is perhaps a matter of personal taste on my part, because the thoughtful soundscape reasserts itself very strongly to close, including the triumphant return of the strings at the denouement.

Gregarious reminds me so much of Alan Parsons Project that I had to check whether it was, in fact, a cover. It isn't, and the comparison is in no way meant to be disparaging, because they are responsible for some fine music, and this is an extremely pleasant track in the main, although the keyboard noodling prior to the closing section again, I am afraid, is rather out of place with all around it. I don't object to a bit of noodling, but I do like it to fit into the work I am listening to. As elsewhere throughout, Bainbridge produces some lovely guitar riffs.

Another exalted guest, Robin Boult, plays some lovely acoustic guitar on Ivory Tower, with gentle keys as a backdrop, and yearning vocals create an intelligent piece dealing with love and betrayal. On this piece, the move from thoughtful to more charged and pacy music works better. There is some fine fret work from Poole on bass in particular.

Lifesigns are categorised as neo-prog on our site, and the start of Shoreline with its signatures and feel is perhaps the most "neo" as we understand it on the album. Perhaps it is indicative of how my musical tastes have progressed over the years when I state that I find this section unconvincing, but the overall sense of the album reasserts itself from the "Take me to the shoreline" middle section before Young first with a synth solo, and then Bainbridge with his riffs, take us back again. Those of you who think that Marillion were far better with that big Scottish bloke, and Pendragon should never have progressed beyond Kowtow, will get a lot out of this track, but it is the weakest track of the album for me, I am afraid.

The other ten minute plus track is Fortitude. Bainbridge shines again on this piece, which is a very wordy track. I do wish we could have had more than the final two or so minutes of the closing instrumental passage, a wonderful keyboard led section which soars, and is, to me, perhaps an indication that this album, as good as it is, could have been so much more.

At less than one minute, the instrumental Arkhangelsk is too short to really pass judgement on, but I get the impression that the dark mood it suggests could have been extended into something quite interesting.

In parts, this is a really fine album, but my overall impression after many listens now is that these are not sufficient to make this something really special as a whole, which is a shame. If I had rated this after the initial couple of listens, then my rating would have been higher, but, with familiarity, I have no hesitation in recommending it to readers of this review, but with the knowledge that it really could have been so much more.

Lifesigns first self titled album saw them in full on prog mode with Nick Beggs onboard then the follow up Cardington showed their more AOR tenancies with Jon Poole replacing Beggs along with another assortment of guitarists. Now this third studio outing has the current line up of John Young, Jon Poole, Steve Rispin, Dave Bainbridge and Zoltan Csorsz giving the best of all worlds including AOR, prog and even a little jazz fusion. Whether it is on the 15 minute plus opening title track with its Strings and beautiful harmony vocals supplied by Lyndsey Ward (Exploring Birdsong) or on the punchy Gregarious there is plenty of depth to the song writing and each member of the band plays a vital roll in the overall feel of the album. Two songs are reworked from Young's earlier career with Ivory Tower getting keeping its twists and turns both lyrically and musically and even includes a special appearance from Robin Boult who appeared on the original John Young Band version. The second rework is Last One Home which is the tour de force of the album. Anybody who isn't in tears by the end of Bainbridges guitar solo has no heart. Along with all of this you also get the backbone of the album which is Shoreline and Fortitude both of which are sure to be fan favorites especially once the band can perform them on stage. This is defiantly the most complete album Lifesigns have released to date despite the lack of big name guests as on the previous releases and I'm sure it will see them reach a new level. John Young has a great ability to leave scope within the lyrics for the listener to interpret the songs in their own way and the five members of Lifesigns are definitely at the top of their game. An early contender for album of 2021.

The Lifesigns sound and song quality is now, after three albums, legendary. I'll never forget the delightful surprise that was 2013's eponymous debut--an album that still sits on the edge for me as to whether it's a masterpiece or not. In terms of aural candy, it definitely is. Though the list of John Young's support cast has shifted, the sound is still great.

1. "Altitude" (15:18) a song that gets better and better the farther you get into it, the vocals and lyrics are a bit lackluster while the bass, drums, guitar and keys are quite good. Wonderful aural scapes and an absolutely gorgeous finish. I was hoping for/perhaps expecting the amazing lead and harmony vocals from the band's debut, I'm sad to find myself a bit disappointed. But, then, the sound production value is so beautiful, so clean and multi- dimensional, I'm almost willing to let go of my disappointments. (26.5/30)

2. "Gregarious" (4:38) opens with a bouncy piano sounding a bit like Queen or Foreigner. A bit too much like the quirk of "Cold as Ice" yet weakened by the relative stuffing into the background of John's lead vocal track. I was not expecting this as his warm, intimate voice was one of the highlights of the previous albums. Really nice PINK FLOYD "Comfortably Numb"/GEORGE HARRISON "My Guitar Gently Weeps" section from Dave Bainbridge and the background chorale singers in the fourth minute till the close. (8.5/10)

3. "Ivory Tower" (7:42) Whoa! 4:25 of Steven Wilson's Hand. Cannot. Erase. crossed with Peter Gabriel's "Mercy Street." Then it kicks into part two, drive. Nice music, nice sound--except for the thinness and deeply buried effect on John's vocal track. A song of regret and envy whose lyrics are a bit too simple. (13/15)

4. "Shoreline" (7:38) a jazzy opening turns spacey before still settling into an almost Steely Dan vein. Finally, John's vocal track is brought slightly forward and given a little girth (but still not enough). Keyboards dominate, chord sequencing and background vocals are definitely in the Steely Dan house of pop jazz. Great excursion into jazz fast lane in the instrumental sixth and seventh minutes. A very solid song with excellent musicianship that seems to need a different vocal approach (or lyrical topic). (Where are Donald Fagen or James Grant when you need them.) (13.25/15)

5. "Fortitude" (10:07) nice song structure, chordal flow, and melodic trails. Again, I'm not sure what John's singing about but something here feels meatier--feels like something to which I'm more connected (which is entirely due to the magic of John's voice). Just wish his voice didn't sound so compressed. Interesting tension built from the musical drift in the seventh minute. Brilliantly brought back to warmth and trust by the following vocal and instrumental passages--the latter of which, starting at 7:30 is quite powerful. Great synth work along with deep, throbbing bass. Now this is good prog! The best song on the album! (18.75/20)

6. "Arkhangelsk" (0:57) interesting inclusion on the album--unless it's meant to be the introduction to the next song. (4/5)

7. "Last One Home" (6:14) from the opening piano and synth chords one can tell this is going to be a sad song. It sounds like a pretty blatant lift of Elton John's "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word"--piano, pace, and vocal melody lines. A song that seems to be about the relationship dynamics of a seaman and his distant wife while the seaman is at sea--the stereotypic idealization of the "sad" life of the sailor and the often solitary sailor's wife. Very nice bluesy guitar solo by Dave Bainbridge--for a full two minutes--in the instrumental middle. (8.5/10)

8. "Altitude (reprise)" (1:50) sounds like a new, trailing verse to STING's "An Englishman in New York." (4.25/5)

Total Time 54:24

For whatever reason, the engineering of the vocals are not as warm and intimate as those on Lifesigns, and, thus, not as effective. (Perhaps there has, in fact, been a weakening of John's voice over the past decade?) Having that gorgeous, engaging voice so "removed" instead of "in my brain" is actually quite a disappointment. John's support crew of Jon Poole, Zoltán Csörsz, and Dave Bainbridge are definitely a winning combination--as are the other collaborator guests. As competent as Jon Poole is, there's just something so magical about the bass/stick work of Nick Beggs. My final impressions are that the music needs to be more dynamic and John definitely has to record, engineer, and mix his wonderful voice back to the front and center of each and every song.

B/four stars; a nice addition to any prog lover's music collection--especially valuable for the two centerpieces, "Shoreline" and "Fortitude"--but, if you've never heard this band's debut, you are really missing out.

2021 saw Lifesigns back with their third album, and although keyboard player and singer John Young (Qango, Greenslade etc.) is the only person still here from the debut, it is wonderful to see both Dave Bainbridge (Iona and others, one of my favourite musicians) and Jon Poole (Cardiacs, The Wildhearts ? and I've said it before so I'll say it again, if you ever come across a copy of his solo Zappa tribute album 'What's The Ugliest Part Of Your Body?' grab it) back for another round. Founder drummer Martin Beedle is not involved this time around, and instead his role is taken by Zoltan Csorsz (The Flower Kings, Karmakanic etc.).

The four guys involved in this release have been involved in many bands, normally more than one at the same time, and given the opportunity live their lives on the road (pre-Covid I saw updates from John of his touring with Bonnie Tyler, while David is often out with The Strawbs), so they all know what they are doing. Zoltán is a very busy drummer, hailing originally from the jazz scene, yet somehow Jon still finds room to make his presence felt, while Dave and John switch between support and providing melodic lead. The result is an album that is both pastoral and symphonic, delicate yet with a swelling beauty, a progressive rock album where the focus is on powerful songs and sympathetic vocals without masses of "look at me" sections. Musically, these guys have absolutely nothing to prove as they have been at the top of the stack for years, and I have been following Dave's releases for some 30 years now and he has never put out a bad one. So, why would he start now?

But this is John's band, and he knows what he wants to achieve, and the result is a series of prog songs which are one delight after another. They start with the longest song, the title cut which is more than 15 minutes in length, a real statement of intent. Yet somehow it never seems as if it is dragging, as there is a life and vitality within it which is a delight throughout. The highlight comes near the end, which starts as if it is a solo effort from John, "Last One Home". Delicate vocals, piano and additional keyboards, Dave lays down some wailing background guitar, while the rhythm section only come in after a few minutes, and then keep it restrained. The guitar solo is a thing of beauty, just notes being gently picked and sustained, bent and glorious. This is a real builder, and as the song progresses everyone ups the ante, both in the layers and complexity of playing, but it never moves far from the original theme and ends with some Moody Blues harmonies which are a delight.

This is a fresh album, full of light and joy, and stands out among the current crop as the restraint within allows the dynamics to build. We end with a reprise of the opener, here less than two minutes in length, which leads us easily into playing the whole thing again. Wonderful.

This is the third release from Lifesigns, but first that I have heard, but I am very impressed. Lifesigns features John Young (keyboards-vocals), Dave Bainbridge (guitar), Jon Poole (bass-vocals), and Zoltan Csorsz (drums), all veterans of other bands, and they provide a diverse mix of styles, from pastoral to symphonic flourishes, while maintaining strong melodies and vocals throughout. Alternates between shorter more pop-rock sections to the more elaborate and lengthy prog excursions, culminating in the beautiful ballad 'Last One Home' and a brief reprise of the opening 'Altitude'. Overall, a beautiful and accessible progressive rock album filled with strong emotional connections, evocative melodies, and powerful instrumental passages. 4 stars