Since Anathema is apparently going to win PROG magazine's album of the year every time they put out an album, I guess I'll ask:
Are Anathema really all that? Who do they sound like? What do they sound lie? Should I buy any of their albums, and if so which ones? Have I asked enough questions yet? If so, tell me how many I should ask?
High Vibration Go On - R.I.P. Chris Squire
Anathema is putting out some of the finest music that Coldplay hasn't written yet. Their most recent few releases are excellent, well-written, well-played, and well-produced art rock albums.
Thanks for the info, but I can't stand Coldplay so I'll pass.Originally Posted by battema
High Vibration Go On - R.I.P. Chris Squire
In truth, the further back you go, the less that analogy holds up. They were originally a doom metal band alongside stuff like My Dying Bride, early Gathering, Katatonia. They started getting more atmospheric midway in, but the last couple of albums jettisoned most of the darkness entirely.
I do like them, but I don't at all consider them terribly progressive (save for one or two tunes with a time signature other than 6/8 or 4/4). They are just writing damned good rock IMHO.
They don't sound anything like Coldplay....that analogy seems sort of nonsensical to me.
This is the age of the interwebs, you know...it's pretty easy to listen to a few songs on YouTube or Spotify and make your own determination on whether they are worth checking into further.
I can't stand Coldplay either, and I like Anathema.
Might be but, like Coldplay, they leave me totally cold on an emotional level. Got several friends who really dig their last two albums and as such have heard plenty of both of them but it just doesn't click with and as such I don't understand all the 'adoration' heaped upon those two albums. [Shrug] Plenty of more music to dig into
I only have 2 of their older albums, which I like. Once I did an interview with them, after the release of Judgement, which was a funny experience, because they didn't know I was going to call them for an interview, so it started with: "who gave you this phone-number?"
I like them a lot, and saw them live in Paradiso (with the stunning Amplifier as warm-up) last year. Like many will say, the best way is to work backwards starting with their latest release. I really like the fact that they have two singers, one of which is a girl. I tend to like the songs written by the drummer John Douglas the most, but he's like Woolly Wolstenholme, only writes a couple of songs per album. "A Fine Day To Exit" is therefore (with 4 Douglas-songs) probably my favourite.
The Coldplay-reference above is nonsense. I would file them in the same section as Porcupine Tree, Riverside, The Pineapple Thief, etc. Hence a typical KScope-band.
The only Anathema album I have is "Judgment" from 1999. I find it to be anthemic, loud and mostly boring. I guess if you're a fan of Muse or later Porcupine Tree, it might be worth checking out.
I stand by my reference. Singer has very different voice. But hey, thanks for the kind words!
I stated in another thread that I don't get the attraction to these guys. I saw them at NotP 2011 and didn't leave soon enough. Boring, pomp, postured. And the most horrendous version of Comfortably Numb ever for an ending song. I loved every other band at that fest. The best was not saved for last!
JG
"MARKLAR!"
I'm sorry, my response was certainly not intended to be belittling, if that was picked up. My apologies.
I guess you've not heard The Scissor Sisters' version of "Comfortably Numb" then... :-)
I've only just got into Anathema, and I've only got 'Weather Systems' and 'We're Here Because We're Here', but I disagree completely with the Coldplay comparison.
Porcupine Tree is a bit closer; there's elements of trancey-ambient repetitive figures building to emotional climaxes, so that's the same sort of Pink Floyd structural thing that Steven Wilson was doing for years.
I wouldn't say they're my favourite band of those I've started listening to in recent months (that would be Moon Safari, without a shadow of a doubt), but I like them. Not particularly about virtuosity and chops, but rather more about philosophical/spiritual lyrics and some gorgeous moments - particularly those created by patiently sustained textures and riffs.
I'm a bit perplexed that Prog magazine's Reader's Poll placed them so highly - but it's a reader's poll, open to the public, and not necessarily indicative of what the editors and critics actually think.
I'd have thought several other of the albums that made the top 10 would have been more deserving winners, but that doesn't mean I don't like 'Weather Systems' well enough.
Is Anathema all that good?
Imo now they are.
"My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician, and to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference"
President Harry S. Truman
post rock metal band nothing especially great to me they were ok good /sort of meh but i suppose their song writing got better as they became more main stream.
As mentioned before you really need to listen to some samples as you will get a wide range of opinions regarding this band. I happen to like them...alot and feel their praise is well justified. Some beautiful melodies all over the last few albums, in particular Weather Systems. If you like atmospheric, melancholic rock Anathema deserves your undivided attention.
I didn't like the latest album Weather Systems. I like We're Here Cuz We Here a lot though.
Compact Disk brought high fidelity to the masses and audiophiles will never forgive it for that
I love them, and don't really see the Coldplay comparison either. I like Coldplay too, but enjoy Anathema a lot more. There was just an Anathema thread within the last couple of weeks were people listed their favorite albums, so you might want to look that up. My personal favorite is "A Natural Disaster". I just picked up "Weather Systems" and have not had a chance to listen to it yet.
Steve Sly
Prog Magazine's Critics poll also had it #1 for 2012.
Steve Sly
I dig 'em. Great melodies, and as mentioned, the addition of the female vocalist adds another dimension to their songs. I prefer We're Here Because We're Here to Weather Systems, though both are quite good.
I'd say that if you don't like this, you likely won't enjoy their non-doom-metal stuff:
Try We're Here Because We're Here. If it does not work for you, then by-pass. If it works, then stop there.
No.
Does it matter that this waste of time is what makes a life for you?
I also agree that the Coldplay comment is a bit of a distracting comparison. I can see where a track like "Dreaming Light" would evoke that comparison though. I would describe the music as emotional and easy to digest. I would put them less in the category of Coldplay, and more in the category of Pure Reason Revolution, Gazpacho, The Pineapple Thief, etc. Melody and a sort of spiritual 'feel goodness' dominate the mood of the music.
I don't think Weather Systems deserves to be anyone's AOTY, but it's pretty solid music if you're into that axis. I do think We're Here Because We're Here is excellent though.
And while I don't want to criticize the OP, unless you don't have access to YouTube, you can very easily go listen for yourself instead of asking people to describe it for you. This was much less true a decade or more ago, but now just about everything can be accessed.
That said, here are three tracks I enjoy:
WANTED: Sig-worthy quote.
Nope...mea culpa on my part. Had a bad day yesterday, and it bled over into other stuff. Sorry for being so short with you.
That said, I still hear it. Anathema "Dreaming Light" to Coldplay's "The Scientist" and "Everything" to "Clocks." There are songs on 'Vida La Vida' that could've been on either of the Anathema K-Scope albums (the last track in particular). I can hear similarities going back to "A Fine Day to Exit." I'm not saying it is an exact clone but I do think they aim for similar territory. And I definitely think it is more rock than prog (not that there's anything wrong with that).
Obviously purely IMHO.
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