The concept; basically an abstract idea, plan or thought-out intention...music; sounds formed predominantly by instruments in an arranged pattern to create harmony or to express emotion...but what happens when you put them together? You get often wonderful story-telling and ground-breaking albums...every generation has them, whether you built walls with PINK FLOYD or played pinball with THE WHO back in the day, or whether you were part of the black parade lead by MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, these albums changed music, but it's not often you hear of a concept album based on the same bands own work. Cue ANATHEMA...formed in Liverpool way back in 1990, these scouser's started out as a doom-metal band signed to the PEACEVILLE roster but over the years they have mellowed out considerably, but are no less exploratory in their approach to music. If you are familiar with their work you'll remember an album by the name "A Fine Day To Exit"...the cover being a car dashboard over-looking the sea, a family photo, clothes strewn...it was very suggestive but little was touched upon. With new album "The Optimist", guitarist/vocalist Daniel Cavanagh reveals that they needed a starting point for a narrative; the guy from that album cover, what happened to him? The songs here delve back into it all in a semi-autobiographical sense, did he start a new life or did he pull a Richie James Edwards? Let's dive in...
We open up with "32.63N 117.14W" which, before you try and read that as a word (I know some of you will) is a set of coordinates leading you directly to Silver Strand beach, the location of the car from the aforementioned old album cover...at just over a minute long it's merely an introduction; you can hear the sea on the shore, heavy breathing, and the car starting up with the radio tuning in (He's alive after all!) and it leads into first track proper "Leaving It Behind"...it's got some light tapping percussion over some simple, overlapped and looped electric guitar, almost on edge, as if uncertainty had a sound of it's own...while vocally Vincent Cavanagh draws his notes out with a certain drone, sounding lost, balancing the growing vigor of the music brilliantly...this is a superb start.
The tender vocals of Lee Douglas drape themselves over a sweet piano lead opening and she sings of hope (maybe the woman from the photo) as the track builds in intensity, rising and rising toward a powerful crescendo soaked in longing and musically this will easily appeal to fans of say, THE JOY FORMIDABLE, while the title track, quite contrary to it's very meaning sounds incredibly sullen...it's despairing as our character speaks of needing to run away. Again, utilizing the slow-build, it's an incredibly dramatic song, transcending beyond mere album content, this is lavish, this is art and it's simply wonderful. "San Francisco" continues on our characters journey as an instrumental piece and does a good job of capturing an essence of hustle and bustle of the big city; pacey, frenetic but still structured, like society itself, ending with the sound of trains, suggesting long-distance travel (He really is on the run isn't he!) before lead single "Springfield" takes us to our characters destination. Tortured and emotional, a powerful track asking "How did I get here?!" (By train? It took you three days...leaving San Francisco Civic Center, heading to the Richmond Transit Station, from there, all the way to Chicago Union Station, before the final leg of the journey to Springfield, Massachusetts...THREE DAYS!)
The story continues through further tracks such as the up-beat "Can't Let Go" and then finally closing on the 11 min+ epic "Back To The Start" but, I won't delve into them so much, this IS a story at the end of the day and, well you don't want spoilers do you? I'll let you discover that for yourself...all you need to know is that this album, despite being based on something so incredibly vague and simple has flourished and really, blossomed into an outstanding collective piece of music. It's always a gamble writing a concept album, especially on an idea so seemingly meaningless, but when the music is this good, no one dare complain. Just like the character here, you need, no, you HAVE to be an optimist ahead of this release, I promise you this, you won't be disappointed. On a side note, for those wondering...his train journey cost him upwards of $400...[8]
We open up with "32.63N 117.14W" which, before you try and read that as a word (I know some of you will) is a set of coordinates leading you directly to Silver Strand beach, the location of the car from the aforementioned old album cover...at just over a minute long it's merely an introduction; you can hear the sea on the shore, heavy breathing, and the car starting up with the radio tuning in (He's alive after all!) and it leads into first track proper "Leaving It Behind"...it's got some light tapping percussion over some simple, overlapped and looped electric guitar, almost on edge, as if uncertainty had a sound of it's own...while vocally Vincent Cavanagh draws his notes out with a certain drone, sounding lost, balancing the growing vigor of the music brilliantly...this is a superb start.
The tender vocals of Lee Douglas drape themselves over a sweet piano lead opening and she sings of hope (maybe the woman from the photo) as the track builds in intensity, rising and rising toward a powerful crescendo soaked in longing and musically this will easily appeal to fans of say, THE JOY FORMIDABLE, while the title track, quite contrary to it's very meaning sounds incredibly sullen...it's despairing as our character speaks of needing to run away. Again, utilizing the slow-build, it's an incredibly dramatic song, transcending beyond mere album content, this is lavish, this is art and it's simply wonderful. "San Francisco" continues on our characters journey as an instrumental piece and does a good job of capturing an essence of hustle and bustle of the big city; pacey, frenetic but still structured, like society itself, ending with the sound of trains, suggesting long-distance travel (He really is on the run isn't he!) before lead single "Springfield" takes us to our characters destination. Tortured and emotional, a powerful track asking "How did I get here?!" (By train? It took you three days...leaving San Francisco Civic Center, heading to the Richmond Transit Station, from there, all the way to Chicago Union Station, before the final leg of the journey to Springfield, Massachusetts...THREE DAYS!)
The story continues through further tracks such as the up-beat "Can't Let Go" and then finally closing on the 11 min+ epic "Back To The Start" but, I won't delve into them so much, this IS a story at the end of the day and, well you don't want spoilers do you? I'll let you discover that for yourself...all you need to know is that this album, despite being based on something so incredibly vague and simple has flourished and really, blossomed into an outstanding collective piece of music. It's always a gamble writing a concept album, especially on an idea so seemingly meaningless, but when the music is this good, no one dare complain. Just like the character here, you need, no, you HAVE to be an optimist ahead of this release, I promise you this, you won't be disappointed. On a side note, for those wondering...his train journey cost him upwards of $400...[8]
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