Anathema

[SoundscapeMN]

The Optimist comes out June 9th.

https://www.facebook.com/notes/anathema/anathema-reveal-details-cover-artwork-for-new-studio-album-the-optimist/10155255551173629/

optimist /ˈɒptɪmɪst/
noun: optimist; plural noun: optimists
1. a person who tends to be hopeful and confident about the future or the success of something.
2.  a person who believes that this world is the best of all possible worlds or that good must ultimately prevail over evil.
After Anathema’s 2012 award-winning album Weather Systems and 2014’s spellbinding Distant Satellites, the ambient rockers are back with their eleventh full-length, The Optimist. Due for release on 9th June through Kscope The Optimist will soon reveal some of the darkest, most challenging and unexpected music the sextet have put their name to.

Anathema, led by brothers Daniel and Vincent Cavanagh, along with drummer John Douglas, singer Lee Douglas, bassist Jamie Cavanagh and keyboardist Daniel Cardoso began recording The Optimist in the winter of 2016 at Attica Audio in Donegal, Ireland and then finished at Castle Of Doom studios in Glasgow with producer Tony Doogan [Mogwai, Belle & Sebastian, Super Furry Animals] at the helm. Vincent elaborates on Doogan’s influence on the recording process “he suggested that we record as a live band, which we hadn’t done for years. Having played a few tunes on the last tour, we were ready for that. Tony wanted to capture that energy you can only get with everyone facing each other… it makes a big difference. He was a superb guy to work with and I learned a lot making this record”

The idea for The Optimist was born from the front cover artwork of the band’s 2001 album A Fine Day To Exit Daniel Cavanagh explains “I suppose you might say the album is semi-autobiographical because this time we used a surrogate,” he says, of the character that is The Optimist “We put sound, feelings and crucially, our own hopes and fears into another person and made him the subject of the songs then weaving my own internal monologue into the narrative of The Optimist. It was John’s idea to write a narrative, so I took A Fine Day To Exit as the starting point”. Vincent elaborates further on the earlier album’s artwork influence “The guy who disappeared – you never knew what happened to him, did he start a new life? Did he succumb to his fate? It was never explained. The opening track title is the exact coordinates for Silver Strand beach in San Diego – the last known location of The Optimist – shown on the cover of A Fine Day to Exit.”
To continue the theme further, the band brought back designer and illustrator Travis Smith to create the artwork for The Optimist. The artwork was created from a series of photographs Smith took on a West Coast road trip.

With the character’s unresolved destiny the three song writing members, meticulously brought the unfinished story to an end – and most strikingly of all – one which is decided by the listener.

32.63N 117.14W (01:18)
Leaving It Behind (04:27)
Endless Ways (05:49)
The Optimist (05:37)
San Francisco (04:59)
Springfield (05:49)
Ghosts (04:17)
Can`t Let Go (05:00)
Close Your Eyes (03:39)
Wildfires (05:40)
Back To The Start (11:41)

Teaser:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpjlNP50qUg

[Zantera]

I am hyped

[Prog Snob]

What a nice way to start off the day! 

[Sacul]

I am hyped

This. I wonder if they'll go into a more electronic direction - considering they recorded it live maybe they won't, but who knows.

Also wait, is A Fine Day to Exit a concept album? 

[Elite]

What is that 11 minute track doing there?

This could well be interesting indeed.

[seasonsinthesky]

What is that 11 minute track doing there?

This could well be interesting indeed.

Sequel to "In the Dog's House" from AFDTE, of course! "Chiiiiickennnnnsssssss"

[Evermind]

Excited for this. Going to buy this for sure, and also going to grab tickets for their Moscow show in June.

[The Letter M]

So the album cover shows the band's name as "ana_thema"...now I am even more confused on how they pronounce their name. I thought it was "an-a-THE-ma" at first, but then read it to was supposed to be "a-NATH-e-ma", so I've been saying that for years.

-Marc.

[BlackInk]

Excited, and will order this as soon as I can for sure.

[Train of Naught]

I think the "the" part is pronounced like "thay": A-na-thay-ma

That's how I've always seen it, but I might be wrong, it could be because "thema" is a Dutch word and it's pronounced like that so in my mind it's just "ana" + "thema".

"a-NATH-e-ma"

If this is actually correct I will be pretty disappointed that sounds soooo ugly to me





Anyway, looking forward to the album

[Podaar]

Hmmm, I've always pronounced it a-NA-them-a...

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UATUFTNy6to

How to pronounce Anathema

[RoeDent]

Yeah, it's aNATHema. It's a word in English.

And unless they've done that silly thing of including silence and a hidden track, that last one will surely be one of their longest ever. Interesting that they've changed their logo as well, having used the same one since WHBWH.

[?]

New logo, new producer, recording live in the studio, a continuation of the AFDTE theme... The hype is real!

[The Letter M]

Yeah, it's aNATHema. It's a word in English.

I figured as much as I've heard it before years ago, so the album logo and choice of underscore really confused me, unless it's meant to parallel the album title "the_optimist", in which case, it's a poor choice because it only confuses the band's name's pronunciation even more, as the underscore begs to be a syllabic break when spoken.

And unless they've done that silly thing of including silence and a hidden track, that last one will surely be one of their longest ever. Interesting that they've changed their logo as well, having used the same one since WHBWH.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Optimist_(Anathema_album)

I love whoever wrote this article because of this line - "The song "Back to the Start" is their first over-ten-minutes song since A Natural Disaster." 
I guess that's a pretty big deal for a band that rarely writes songs over 5 or 6 minutes long, but the wording just sounds a bit clunky to me.

-Marc.

[Phoenix87x]

I wish it was June so bad.

[Prog Snob]

No, that's Spock's Beard.

[Onno]

Aww yes! I'm excited!

[Nekov]

Pretty Excited. Already got my tickets for the Buenos Aires show.

No, that's Spock's Beard.

 

[RoeDent]

Yeah, it's aNATHema. It's a word in English.

I figured as much as I've heard it before years ago, so the album logo and choice of underscore really confused me, unless it's meant to parallel the album title "the_optimist", in which case, it's a poor choice because it only confuses the band's name's pronunciation even more, as the underscore begs to be a syllabic break when spoken.

And unless they've done that silly thing of including silence and a hidden track, that last one will surely be one of their longest ever. Interesting that they've changed their logo as well, having used the same one since WHBWH.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Optimist_(Anathema_album)

I love whoever wrote this article because of this line - "The song "Back to the Start" is their first over-ten-minutes song since A Natural Disaster." 
I guess that's a pretty big deal for a band that rarely writes songs over 5 or 6 minutes long, but the wording just sounds a bit clunky to me.

-Marc.

It is. It also doesn't need to be in that introduction. It's an interesting tidbit of info, but not *that* important.

[krands85]

First track from the new album: Springfield

[BlackInk]

Perfectly fine Anathema track. I do wish that the first song released would be something with a bit more to it. But this was still good, very recognisably them.

[Nekov]

Agreed, a very Anathema song.

[Zantera]

I really liked it. The sparingly use of the vocals made it feel different and it had an older Anathema vibe to it, mixed with the sound of the newer albums.

[?]

The lyrics seem to be a continuation of Barriers, though of course they may be changed before it gets recorded.

They didn't, but it makes a lot more sense now for obvious reasons.

The band announced a Euro tour for the fall, so I'll see them in November! I wonder if they'll bring back some AFDTE material into the setlist due to the connection between these two records... I'd personally love it, because AFDTE is my 4th favorite album.

[Phoenix87x]

Fuck me sideways, i love this new track.

They played it live and i heard it a little while back, but it is totally cemented in my brain and i love it

[Mebert78]

Did they record the song in the dark or is that a special filter or something?

[ChuckSteak]

I liked it. Typical Anathema.

[LordCost]

Liked the new song. I heard also Ghosts and John Martyn live, and the last one is my favourite but I don't see it in the tracklist of the new album. Maybe it's a cover or they have changed the title, I don't know.

[T-ski]

I liked it. Typical Anathema.

this.

[The Letter M]

Read a hilarious comment on a Facebook post sharing the new song: it was something along the lines of "How can you make a song with 2 notes and expect it to sound good?!" 

I mean, sure, the melody isn't much, but the song, and their music over all, is about MOOD and FEEL, the atmosphere of it all. Someone obviously doesn't get Anathema...

-Marc.

[Phoenix87x]

I agree 100%

Less is more some times and there is an elegance in its simplicity. Bottom line, its a hauntingly beautiful and addictive ass song dripping with passion and emotion.

[LCArenas]

At first I thought the song was too simplistic for Anathema


Then it exploded in my face

Love it

[home]

At first I thought the song was too simplistic for Anathema


Then it exploded in my face

Love it

Exactly my thoughts, the melody at the first part is very simple, but the way it explodes is just amazing

[Phoenix87x]

I really dig A sort of homecoming. The stripped down sound and those beautiful acoustics are chilling. A particular standout is A natural disaster, which I had heard for the first time on this album. So good