blindsider's Full Review: West Pole [PA] [Digipak] * by The Gathering
I remember vividly the day it was announced that Anneke van Giersbergen and The Gathering planned to part ways. As a longtime fan, I was definitely disappointed, yet I remained curious about how the band would approach finding a new singer and what direction their sound would take in the future. Well, over two years have passed since that day. Anneke has gone on to form Agua de Annique and The Gathering has found a replacement in Norwegian Silje Wergeland (formerly of Octavia Sperati). The West Pole found release earlier this year, and I can happily report it's among the best new albums of 2009. Whatever "it" is, The Gathering has assuredly not lost it.
The Gathering's discography is so eclectic that it's difficult to predict what turns they will take at any given point. The band has really mellowed out considerably over the past decade or so, settling into a more atmospheric, trip-rock pattern. Stylistically, I have to say The West Pole is actually not a huge departure from the album prior to this, 2006's Home (the last studio effort with the unmatchable Anneke van Giersbergen on vocals).
Succinctly, I can say that The Gathering fans who really enjoyed Home will most likely approve of this release too. The atmosphere is brilliant, gently textured but with strong emotions pulsing deeply throughout every melody. Wergeland's vocal performance is great and her lyrics are also rather impressive. Whether or not she "fills Anneke's shoes" is really a non-issue. Comparing everything she does on the album to van Giersbergen is a complete waste of time and is also unfair to Wergeland, a sparkling talent by her own merits. Van Giersbergen, an extraordinarily versatile singer, added her own stamp to The Gathering's sound and there's no reason for Wergeland to try her hand at imitating that. She does not and should not. What would be the point? The Gathering has always been a band unafraid of evolving and experimenting; despite the fact that there are similarities to Home at various points, The West Pole is no exception to that.
The West Pole opens with "When Trust Becomes Sound," a fizzy instrumental with lively riffs, showcasing some of the most guitar-driven The Gathering material in many, many years. It takes a few listens to really "get," as it's got an odd build-up and feels slightly misplaced (eccentric, frenzied and very energetic - while introducing an album of generally mellow material), but in time I learned to embrace its catchiness. It gets a solid groove going by the end of its run, melting right into "Treasure," a breezy, uptempo tune with a bouncy and pleasant rhythm vaguely reminiscent of The Cranberries. Wergeland's voice shines here: velvety, light, and charismatic, given a new dimension by the vibrant keyboard melody. "All You Are" employs a fun tick-tock, stop-start rhythm. Wergeland hints toward a breathier tone in the pensive verses while opting for a clearer, more 'full' vocal sound in the memorable chorus, which is again boldly enhanced by Frank Boeijen's simple yet distinct keyboard traces. Starkly contrasting is the dark, solemn tone of the brilliantly unsettling piano/vocal offering "You Promised Me A Symphony." This song is simple but rather haunting, with Wergeland nearly whispering at some points, showcasing a chilling vulnerability and a plethora of emotions.
The two easy highlights of The West Pole are the title track and "No Bird Call." Incidentally, these songs are placed right next to each other on the album, which I cannot complain about at all. "The West Pole" is a strikingly powerful, slow, hypnotic, "shoegaze-esque" offering with ethereal, light instrumentation and a wistful, compelling performance from Wergeland. The lyrics here also contain beautiful imagery and are full of intense feelings: "Closing in on autumn, as I watch the miracle of seasons changing, I saw the leaves die / your memory fades." "No Bird Call" is more psychedelic, more disoriented; Wergeland's voice is plaintive velvet here, highly expressive, yet soft. "Cacophony of wonderful sounds is replaced by a symphony of silence..."
The West Pole contains two songs with vocals done entirely by guests. "Capital of Nowhere" is a multilayered, exotic medium-paced trippy offering with Anne van den Haagen, whose voice exudes an immediate warmth and transfixes with ease. "Pale Traces" has a unique stuttering rhythm and unexpected changes in pace, but I feel that the vocals (done here by Marcela Bovio of the band Stream Of Passion) are weak. Bovio's tone has always been too nasally and whiny for my tastes, and while this isn't a complete throwaway track, it's one I occasionally skip due to the slightly grating singing. So, it's here that the album loses a bit of steam, finishing out on an unfortunate weak note. "No One Spoke" and "A Constant Run," in truth, aren't as engaging as the bulk of the material here. "No One Spoke" is another straightforward, uptempo one, but it lacks the charm and easy flow of "Treasure" and instead feels a bit forced, and "A Constant Run" is -- well -- more or less a tired rehash of that.
Despite a few lapses into unexciting territory, The West Pole is a remarkable, special album with a wealth of the excellent musicianship The Gathering has provided for two decades now. Again, I will note that it does little good to specifically compare Wergeland's vocal range to that of van Giersbergen's -- and I'll also say that I think Wergeland did a great job here and is most certainly a worthy frontwoman for The Gathering. She works well with their sound and adds a new dimension, a captivating harmonious discord of sorts -- a delicate melancholy -- to the band. I would definitely recommend The West Pole to all fans of alternative rock and also to anyone who's enjoyed past albums by The Gathering. Though not without its imperfections, The West Pole is an enchanting album with numerous standouts.
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