The Optimist (Anathema album)
The Optimist is the eleventh album by rock band Anathema. The album was released on June 9, 2017, through Kscope,[1] three years after their last release, Distant Satellites. The idea for The Optimist originated from the cover artwork of the album A Fine Day to Exit (2001).[1] The coordinates from the first track are pointing to Silver Strand beach in San Diego County, the location that is shown on the cover of A Fine Day to Exit.
Background
The album reportedly follows the concept of the band's 2001 release A Fine Day to Exit. According to band members Daniel and Vincent Cavanagh, the idea came from writing a narrative, culminating on what must have happened with the guy from that album cover. Vincent commented that "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".[2] The covers of both albums also show its narrative connections, as the former contains a car in an empty beach during the day, and the latter a car in a road at night.
Critical reception
The album received positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 80 based on eight reviews, indicating "generally favorable".[3]
Track listing
|
1. | "32.63n 117.14w" (intro) | | 1:16 |
2. | "Leaving It Behind" | - Vincent Cavanagh
- John Douglas
| 4:28 |
3. | "Endless Ways" | | 5:49 |
4. | "The Optimist" | | 5:37 |
5. | "San Francisco" (instrumental) | - Daniel Cavanagh
- Vincent Cavanagh
| 4:59 |
6. | "Springfield" | | 5:49 |
7. | "Ghosts" | | 4:17 |
8. | "Can't Let Go" | - Vincent Cavanagh
- John Douglas
| 5:00 |
9. | "Close Your Eyes" | | 3:38 |
10. | "Wildfires" | | 5:39 |
11. | "Back to the Start" (the main song ends at around 7:30, and a hidden song begins after 3 minutes of silence.) | - Vincent Cavanagh
- John Douglas
| 11:42 |
Total length: | 58:14 |
|
|
1. | "Leaving It Behind" (demo) | - Vincent Cavanagh
- John Douglas
| 4:43 |
2. | "The Optimist" (demo) | | 3:52 |
3. | "Springfield" (live) | | 4:52 |
4. | "Ghosts" (live) | | 4:04 |
5. | "Can't Let Go" (live) | - Vincent Cavanagh
- John Douglas
| 4:37 |
6. | "Wildfires" (demo) | | 5:53 |
Total length: | 28:01 |
Personnel
- Daniel Cavanagh – guitars, vocals, keyboards, bass
- Vincent Cavanagh – vocals, guitars, keyboards, programming, bass
- Jamie Cavanagh – bass
- John Douglas – drums, keyboards, programming
- Lee Douglas – vocals
- Daniel Cardoso – drums
Charts
References
- 1 2 Anathema reveals new album details The Prog Report, March 24, 2017
- ↑ Team Rock, March 24, 2017
- 1 2 "The Optimist Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
- ↑ Jurek, Thom. "The Optimist - Anathema". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
- ↑ Miller, Gavin (6 June 2017). "Album Review: Anathema - The Optimist". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
- ↑ Blum, Jordan (6 June 2017). "Anathema: The Optimist". PopMatters. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
- ↑ "Anathema - The Optimist album review". teamrock.com. 2017-05-27. Retrieved 2017-06-02.
- ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Anathema – The Optimist" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
- ↑ "Ultratop.be – Anathema – The Optimist" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
- ↑ "Ultratop.be – Anathema – The Optimist" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
- ↑ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 201724 on the field besides the word "Zobrazit", and then click over the word to retrieve the correct chart data. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
- ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Anathema – The Optimist" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
- ↑ "Anathema: The Optimist" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
- ↑ "Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums – SNEP (Week 24, 2017)". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
- ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Anathema – The Optimist" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
- ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Anathema – The Optimist". Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
- ↑ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
- ↑ "Portuguesecharts.com – Anathema – The Optimist". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
- ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
- ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Anathema – The Optimist". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
- ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
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Studio albums | |
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Live albums |
- Untouchable (2013)
- Universal (2013)
- A Sort of Homecoming (2015)
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Compilations | |
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EPs | |
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Video albums |
- A Vision of a Dying Embrace (1997)
- Were You There? (2004)
- A Moment in Time (2006)
- Universal (2013)
- A Sort of Homecoming (2015)
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Related articles | |
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