Artist: The Gathering
Title: The West Pole
Type: Album
Label: Psychonaut Records
Take two bands if you will, both have their long serving female lead singer leave and what happens next could not be further removed. One, like a true opera diva airs all her dirty laundry in public to which her former band members react. This goes on forever and is all over the press and message boards with all the fans wanting their say. The other states she wants to move on to other musical horizons and although this is somewhat sad, it is amicably accepted and like adults the two parties part. The first band announce they are looking for a new singer, hold open auditions, competitions and the whole media circus again gets involved, milking every bit of possible publicity out of it they can. The second band announces they too are looking for a singer and quietly get on with it. Finally the first band have a singer, a countdown to the announcement begins, again the publicity machine is hyped and it is announced to huge excitement. The thought echoed by their adoring fans worldwide is “Who?” Now back to the second band, just prior to the release of the album and without huge fanfare the replacement is announced, someone that most lovers of the band probably recognise and the fans are happy as they await the album. The first band stoke the fires again release a huge overproduced and overblown pompous album, play massive festivals, throw crying fits and drama, drama, and more bloody drama and shift bucket loads of copies and sell out everywhere they play. The second band release an understated album that the fans and the right people hear and love, it could be a classic given time if only it were allowed to be. In the eyes of many it will be but they are not the important people, the ones who will push the band to success, the sort of success the band truthfully are probably not looking for anyway. They practice diligently and humbly and promise festival appearances and some dates where they will play and give their fans a performance that is professional and without any histrionics. My question to you here is, who are the better band?
Back to that second band The Gathering (for it is they) and new singer Silje Wergeland (also of Octavia Sperati) seems the natural choice for Anneke van Giersbergen, not that you would realise it on opening number ‘When Trust Becomes Sound’ as the band start the album with one of their chunky post rock instrumental jams to get us banging heads and reacquainting ourselves to their freefall style. ‘Treasure’ has one of their classic Indie sounding guitar riffs before Silje sweetly croons over the top and gives the instant impression that although she is a bit different as a singer, she is not that far removed from her predecessor. She also quickly indicates that her range is going to have no problems keeping the harmony intact on the higher notes and she if anything sounds completely natural in this role. As for the music it has a shoegazing dreamy substance about it and sparkles like the very ‘Treasure’ it is named after, perhaps this could even be the evolvement from classic Cocteau Twins of two decades ago. There is a punch behind ‘All You Are’ it’s a bouncy number and a happy one, certainly those sunny afternoon festivals are perfect for it. The jagged guitar cadence that hones in just before the powerful chorus works well and the whole number is charged. Maybe its not quite as all guns blazing as ‘Shot To Pieces’ but it strikes as the heaviest number in a while from the band once it gets going.
By comparison the title track is much softer in focus, almost a ballad I guess and it is here the vocals are used to shine, as much an instrument as anything else in the equation. For a while we gently waft on the wings of melody as the tracks progress with an air of fragility about them. Mood and atmosphere are prevalent even if at times there is a feeling of minimalism about things. Never is the aforementioned fragility more apparent than on ‘You Promised Me A Symphony’ an absolutely beautiful piece of music focusing on simple piano melody and vocals, lovely! ‘Pale Traces’ eventually lifts the orchestration with thick bass lines and also the addition of one of my other female vocalists, one who I thought could be a possibility to join the band, Marcela Bovio from Stream Of Passion. By the time we get to the last track ‘A Constant Run’ another upbeat number Silje has well and truly stamped her mark and led The Gathering into a new and exciting era, one that I expect their loyal fan-base will love, I certainly have!
http://www.gathering.nl
http://www.myspace.com/gatheringofficial
Pete Woods
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