Liverpool’s Anathema have undertaken one of the more striking transformations in modern rock music. Originally a death/doom band in the ‘90s, they have slowly moved away from their initial gloomy sound in the early 2000s, and re-emerged with a fully-fledged soft-prog sound on 2010’s ‘We’re Here Because We’re Here’. Anathema’s fourth album in this vein (eleventh overall), ‘The Optimist’ offers more of the same, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
‘The Optimist’ most closely resembles the band’s most recent opus, 2014’s ‘Distant Satellites’, as the electronic tinges from that album are carried over on songs like ‘Leaving It Behind’ and ‘Springfield’. These electronics are incorporated better here than the previous album though, as ‘Springfield’ combines this influence with understated, minimalist piano beautifully. It’s a stand-out track that later erupts in a hail of post-rock guitars, a testament to Anathema’s continued incorporation of different influences.
Vocalist Lee Douglas is once again given a chance to shine on ‘The Optimist’, with her lovely voice lighting up songs like ‘Endless Ways’ and complimenting some stripped back piano, and later a brass section, on ‘Close Your Eyes’.
Much of ‘The Optimist’ contents itself with general floaty niceness, which leads to it drifting into tedium at times, with songs like the title track and ‘Ghosts’ being largely forgettable. It’s a welcome change, then, when songs like the creepy, atmospheric ‘Wildfires’ change the tone slightly. Closer ‘Back to the Start’ is focused and upbeat too, with a well-defined, catchy riff. Its exploding strings end the album on a warm note, exemplifying how far the band have come since their gloomy early days.
‘The Optimist’ isn’t a perfect album, and doesn’t come close to the transcendental intensity of ‘We’re Here…’ or the follow-up ‘Weather Systems’. However, it’s still a beautiful piece of work despite its flaws; an improvement over ‘Distant Satellites’ and a welcome addition to Anathema’s back-catalogue that will doubtless please fans of their other 2010s work.
3/5
‘The Optimist’ by Anathema is out now on Kscope.
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Words by Alan Cunningham (@funeral_polis)
