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User
Reviews 416
Approval 72%
Soundoffs 77
News Articles 104
Band Edits + Tags 1,444
Album Edits 765
Album Ratings 5025
Objectivity 75%
Last Active 01-01-70 12:00 am
Joined 01-01-70
Review Comments 64,287
| The Gathering Ranked (Anneke Only)
The most awesome band in the world ranked; I haven't heard some of their rnon-Anneke albums, rrso I'm not doing a full list yet. | | 1 |  | The Gathering
Souvenirs
A great example of TG reinventing themselves again, Souvenirs is their most cohesive effort and an acquired taste. Heavily
rooted in trip-hop, it offers up a dark, mysterious sound that is often gothic and brooding (although the beauty of You Learn
About it and the rockiness of Monsters are welcome breaks that prevent it from becoming monotonous). The secret to its
success is that every song is absolutely killer (including the bizarre, experimental We Just Stopped Breathing ? if a band can
make a song like THAT work, then they deserve renown) and it maintains a very specific atmosphere (which is also totally
killer) from beginning to end. A masterpiece. Rating: 4.7/5 Best songs: These Good People, Souvenirs | | 2 |  | The Gathering
How to Measure a Planet?
TG's first truly experimental album. This was a huge step away from the preceding releases, and instantly redefined what
TG
were (not for the first, or last, time) ? a bold move, that might not have ended as well as it did if the band didn?t sound so
natural and confident here. How to Measure a Planet comes together as a whole in an almost-unheard of manner for a double
album of such ambition, and is immersive, uplifting and generally pleasant to hear throughout its running time. Songs like
Great Ocean Road, Red is a Slow Colour, Travel, and Probably Built in the Fifties are amongst the strongest the band ever put
out, and the only reason this isn?t #1 is that some songs (My Electricity and Locked Away) can?t stand up to the towering
quality of those around them, even though the fit into the album?s mood nicely and are strong in themselves. There is no
filler
here, just great songs and better songs. Rating: 4.5/5 Best songs: Travel, Probably Built in the Fifties | | 3 |  | The Gathering
If_Then_Else
Oh...wow. This album in one word is a powerhouse. It sets a standard of dazzling quality right from the start, maintains it the
whole way through AND manages to be TG?s most diverse effort. Just to be extra clear, it is also very, very powerful, whether
its power is in the heartwrenchingly sad Bad Movie Scene, the rocky Shot to Pieces or the mysterious Amity, and the only
reason it isn?t higher on this list is because the two albums above it are really bloody good ? this is The Gathering at the top of
their game, doing what they want, and doing it damn well. Rating: 4.3/5 Best tracks: Amity, Analog Park | | 4 |  | The Gathering
Nighttime Birds
Ranking this at #4 was very hard for me, because I absolutely adore it and have spent more time listening to it than any
other TG album (apart from possibly How to Measure a Planet) ? it?s fun, well-structured, imaginative, incredibly positive and
comes with some awesome bonus tracks and covers (TG?s version of When the Sun Hits is overwhelmingly brilliant). However,
the only reason it isn?t ranked higher is that the albums above it all have an atmospheric or emotional value that I connect
with better. Nighttime Birds is awesome and cool, but it doesn?t get under my skin in quite the same way as the others ? it?s
just a great album that I can keep coming back to. Rating: 4.2/5 Best tracks: On Most Surfaces, Third Chance | | 5 |  | The Gathering
Home
Home is more or less the opposite of Nighttime Birds, since the former was very solid and consistent without being soppy or
(by the band?s later standards) emotional; Home is possibly their least consistent effort with Anneke on board. However, in
many ways it was also their most passionate ? and certainly the saddest ? album, and one of their most diverse. Home
explores a melancholy, somewhat restrained sound from a wide range of angles, from the epic A Noise Severe to the
heartbreaking Forgotten and Home to the rocky In Between to the strange, powerful Alone, and it?s refreshing to hear it
reinvent itself over and over again. However, it is brought down somewhat by good-not-great songs such as Solace and Your
Troubles Are Other, which aren?t quite up to TG?s typical gold-plated standard. Rating: 4.1/5 Best tracks: A Noise Severe,
Forgotten | | 6 |  | The Gathering
Mandylion
I realise that this is a firm fan favourite and that several people would rank it as #1 without a second thought, and don?t get
me wrong ? I dig this a lot. This was the first Anneke record I heard, and I expected to be blown away and connect with it
from the word go?what happened was that I was impressed by the innovative songwriting and Anneke?s wonderful voice, but
didn?t feel that it really came together in the way that future albums would; the band wrote this before Anneke joined,
without any particular vocalist in mind, and that really shows. Also, whilst TG often have simple or borderline childish lyrics
that are very powerful, the lyrics here are consistently cringeworthy. On the whole, Mandylion is pretty damn solid, fun, and
sometimes emotional, but its flaws are a bit too obvious for me. Rating: 3.8/5 Best tracks: Eleanor, In Motion #2 | |
JohnnyoftheWell
06.19.14 | Best band ever | Relinquished
06.19.14 | whichever has nighttime birds is best | JohnnyoftheWell
06.19.14 | That would be...Nighttime Birds! And any of these could be best - there are just so many different reasons to love them | JohnnyoftheWell
06.19.14 | Hello Cap'n | JohnnyoftheWell
06.19.14 | Shit...I've had that for so long I almost forgot I had an avatar. However, it's staying until I find something wilder | JohnnyoftheWell
06.19.14 | Oh, please no | Torontonian
06.20.14 | i've only heard 6 and 2. i like both. but two is probs slightly better. | JohnnyoftheWell
06.20.14 | Check out 3 if you liked those two; it has a blend of all their styles
| Keyblade
06.20.14 | Damn 6 is pretty low, but yeah 2 is my favorite by them. Great list johnny | manosg
06.20.14 | Nice to see stuff about The Gathering and good descriptions too! For me it goes 6,4,2,3,5,1. | JohnnyoftheWell
06.20.14 | I find it weird how 1 gets such mixed reactions, but I suppose it was quite a different sound to everything else they did...as for 6, it's always been a like-not-love for me | manosg
06.20.14 | After Mandylion they started moving far from doom and as you said HtMaP was their first truly experimental album, having trip hop and electro elements. Those who didn't love that direction (including me) naturally enjoyed If_Then_Else less and Souvenirs even less.
I absolutely love HtMaP but that's the fine line for me. After that, I wasn't so fond of the direction the band was taking. | JohnnyoftheWell
06.20.14 | Well stated, I get your point...I've always loved that TG have something for pretty much everyone, even if you don't like all their stuff | manosg
06.20.14 | Oh definitely. They're also pretty good live. I've seen them three times (with Anneke) and those were some of my favorite concerts. First time I saw them, they waited after the concert in order to sign autographs and they even waived from their tour bus as they left the venue. | JohnnyoftheWell
06.20.14 | That sounds superawesome...I wish I'd been into them back then... |
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