I found Anathema a few months ago and made a post on this board that I thought they were pretty good. Since then, I have listened to them A LOT and come to the conclusion they are a lot more than pretty good.
Normally, I don't care about how well known a band is. I listen to a lot of stuff that is pretty unknown to most people, and that's fine. Some of it even deserves to be - I'll admit it's "niche music". And some of my "favorite" bands I would admit are not epic "greats" that deserve to go down in music history - I just like them.
But Anathema does not belong in a niche. True, they have a specific style, but they are also epic, sweeping, and deserve to go down in music history. They have a sound that would appeal to a lot of people, even in the semi-mainstream. I mean, I am seriously starting to consider them on the same level as Floyd, Gabriel, Radiohead - obviously the same bands that they get rightfully compared to, but what I'm saying is they deserve just as much respect on just as large a level. I seriously think they are just as good (and "accessible" to the mainstream) as Radiohead. So why aren't they nearly as well known? I can only conclude it has to do with marketing. Maybe they don't care about being well known, and I can respect that. But my wish for them to be well-known is not for THEIR benefit - it is for the benefit of all the potential fans out there who I know would love their music.
Where am I headed with this post? Dunno. But I wanted to vent. Anathema is quickly working its way to the top of my list of "great bands", and that's not an easy thing to do - even if I like the music a lot. This is a band I will listen to in 10 years, which I can't say about a lot of what I'm listening to, even the stuff I'm passionate about. And I think that's the best measure of how great a band is - the test of time.
Normally, I don't care about how well known a band is. I listen to a lot of stuff that is pretty unknown to most people, and that's fine. Some of it even deserves to be - I'll admit it's "niche music". And some of my "favorite" bands I would admit are not epic "greats" that deserve to go down in music history - I just like them.
But Anathema does not belong in a niche. True, they have a specific style, but they are also epic, sweeping, and deserve to go down in music history. They have a sound that would appeal to a lot of people, even in the semi-mainstream. I mean, I am seriously starting to consider them on the same level as Floyd, Gabriel, Radiohead - obviously the same bands that they get rightfully compared to, but what I'm saying is they deserve just as much respect on just as large a level. I seriously think they are just as good (and "accessible" to the mainstream) as Radiohead. So why aren't they nearly as well known? I can only conclude it has to do with marketing. Maybe they don't care about being well known, and I can respect that. But my wish for them to be well-known is not for THEIR benefit - it is for the benefit of all the potential fans out there who I know would love their music.
Where am I headed with this post? Dunno. But I wanted to vent. Anathema is quickly working its way to the top of my list of "great bands", and that's not an easy thing to do - even if I like the music a lot. This is a band I will listen to in 10 years, which I can't say about a lot of what I'm listening to, even the stuff I'm passionate about. And I think that's the best measure of how great a band is - the test of time.
