Weather Systems (2012)
1. Untouchable Pt. 1
2. Untouchable Pt. 2
3. The Gathering of the Clouds
4. Lightning Song
5. Sunlight
6. The Storm Before the Calm
7. The Beginning and the End
8. The Lost Child
9. Internal Landscapes
Line-up:
Daniel Cavanagh - lead vocals (5), co-lead vocals (8), electric guitars (1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9), acoustic guitars (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9), bass guitars (4, 5, 9), keyboards (1, 3, 5), piano (2, 3, 7, 8)
Jamie Cavanagh - bass guitars (6)
Vincent Cavanagh - lead vocals (1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9), electric guitars (6), acoustic guitars (6), bass guitars (6), keyboards (1, 3, 5, 6, 9), programming (1, 3, 5, 6, 7), backing vocals (5)
John Douglas - drums (2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9), keyboards (6), programming (6)
Lee Douglas - lead vocals (4), co-lead vocals (1, 2, 3, 6, 9), backing vocals (5)
Petter Carlsen - backing vocals (1, 2)
Christer-André Cederberg - bass guitars (1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8), Piano (7)
Joe Geraci - spoken word (9)
Wetle Holte - drums (1, 3)
In 2011 Anathema went through its last line-up change to date, when long-time keyboardist Les Smith was fired due to musical differences. I remember there was a lot of confusion amidst the fans at the time, because Daniel Cardoso started filling in for Les in the spring, and the band gave no reason for his absence until his departure was officially announced when
Falling Deeper came out. The band received some criticism for this, but Danny has later explained that the decision to let Les go wasn't an easy one:
https://crypticrock.com/interview-danny-cavanagh-of-anathema/It was a very difficult situation with Les Smith. He is very dearly loved and respected brother in the band. Musically I just couldn’t work. I loved him, but I couldn’t work musically. Eventually in the end that just took its toll and I couldn’t take it anymore. That was a difficult decision in 2011. I had a lot of sadness there. There is just so much love, we still love each other very much, it’s just one of those things.
The band made its next album as a five-piece (though not everyone in the band plays on every song, as you can see in the credits). Just like
Falling Deeper,
Weather Systems was originally supposed to be an EP, but after writing "Internal Landscapes", the band decided to make a full album instead. According to Vincent, the original four songs laid the foundation for the record and gave it its title:
https://www.thrashhits.com/2012/04/interview-vincent-cavanagh-from-anathema-on-weather-systems-subterranean-recording-and-on-whats-so-special-about-kscope/It was from a particular suite of songs, titled ‘The Gathering of the Clouds’, ‘Lightning Song’, ‘Sunlight’ and ‘The Storm Before The Calm’. They were always really meant to run in sequence. These songs came about around the time of the last album, We’re Here Because We’re Here, and it was obvious that [these songs] were going to be the core of the next album.
As you may remember, "Lightning Song" and "Sunlight" were part of the original
WHBWH tracklist from 2006 (which you can see in my write-up for that album), so these songs had been lying around for years. You can read Danny's comments on every
Weather Systems track here - there's a really interesting story behind "The Lost Child":
https://www.reflectionsofdarkness.com/in-my-own-words/11629-interview-in-my-own-words-anathema-about-weather-systemsWeather Systems marks the beginning of the working relationship between Anathema and Norwegian producer Christer-André Cederberg (who also plays bass and a little bit of piano on the record), whom Danny has later called the band's own George Martin. This was a match made in heaven right from the start:
We met him through a guy called Petter Carlsen, who’s also from Norway. Christer plays in [Carlsen’s] band, and also produced his album, Clocks Don’t Count, which came out last year. We listened to the production [on the record] and it was pristine quality. It was so natural, and rootsy, and earthy, and had all of the natural feel that you want in a good “rock” sound, but also it had that touch of class to it, so it was a no-brainer for us. We knew immediately: “Okay, this is the guy. We have to at least try [to record] with him”.
I’d never really met the guy before, but instantly on the first day [of going in to the studio], I struck up a friendship with him that was…we just…over breakfast on the first day we were talking about everything…about art…music…culture…politics…philosophy – just over a piece of toast in the morning. And I instantly knew that not only had we found a good producer, but also I’d found a good friend.
Weather Systems is a densely layered album with lots of fingerpicked guitar melodies, orchestrations, and vocal harmonies. It continued to expand Anathema's fanbase, apparently even outselling the previous releases: according to a Kscope press release, it was the band's most successful album to date. Vincent
wasn't surprised by this: "It’s all about keeping the momentum going. It was obvious that if followed We’re Here Because We’re Here quickly, people would have a strong interest in the band. That’s exactly what happened." On the tour in support of the album Anathema recorded a live video called
Universal - check it out if you haven't already!
Weather Systems was a disappointment for me at the time it was released, because the best songs ("Untouchable Pt. 1" and "The Beginning and the End") had been released in advance of the album and made my expectations too high. After revisiting the album, I still think
Weather Systems is slightly uneven and lacks variety. The highs are fantastic, but don't save it from being in the lower half of my Anathema album ranking. That said, I'm glad the record brought Anathema more exposure, because they've earned their success.
Full review:
https://echotester.blogspot.com/2015/10/anathema-discography-13-weather-systems.html
Poll
Topic: Anathema Discography v. So let it take me away... (Read 22059 times)