Australian fans of UK progressive rock band Anathema have been patiently waiting for them to tour Australia and finally in August the wait is over! In support of their latest album “Disatant Satellites” which has been well recieved, Anathema are looking to show Aussie audiences what they have been missing all these years. Lead guitarist and founding member Daniel Cavanagh answered a few questions for us in the lead up to the tour.
Andrew: Thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions for us. First off, the new album “Distant Satellites” is sounding great and has been getting some good reviews. How happy are you with the album?
Daniel: Yes, happy with the record. I think we need to learn 1 or 2 lessons in our writing and recording process but generally speaking I’m happy with it. It’s difficult to know what I would change other than maybe a mix on one of the songs but otherwise quite happy with that record and I think it has some great moments.
Andrew: How did the album come together? And what sets this album apart from previous releases?
Daniel: It came together in March 2013 in Portugal when we did a pre-production session with Christer (André Cederberg, producer) and then in November 2013 when we did a pre-production session with Christer and myself and Vincent Cavanagh and in those 2 sessions the material for the album came forward then on December 2nd we started recording. There’s more use of electronics on this record so it’s been the record where the laptop has come on to be a more integral part of the elements of the music alongside the guitar and the piano and orchestra.
Andrew: The album has a varied mix of a lot of styles that you have done before on other albums. Was this an intentional effort to do that or did it just come out that way?
Daniel: I think it carries other styles that we haven’t done before. But no there’s no real intention to do that, it just came out that way. The songs came out the way they had to come out and we didn’t really consciously go for a record in a certain style. In fact we don’t really consciously write songs, it’s kind of a unconscious intuitive process for us.
Andrew: How has the reception been from fans especially at live shows? Do you play many songs from it live?
Daniel: We haven’t played many live shows from this album yet but we are going to. But I would imagine it is going to go well, I think it’s going to take time for the songs to come together and it will be interesting to see which ones will get the strongest reactions.
Andrew: The Lost Song in 3 parts is an interesting idea. How did this come together?
Daniel: The Lost Song 1, 2 and 3 all came from a song that was lost from a recorder and we could not find it again and in the efforts to try and find the song which was impossible, 3 new song ideas were formed. The Lost song part 1 was the first of these, this was an attempt to remember a lost song and then part 2 and 3 just followed from there.
Andrew: The band will be coming to Australia for 3 shows in August. Is this your first time in Australia and what can we expect at these shows?
Daniel: There will be quite a few new songs there but I reckon because it is the first time in Australia, we might well do a couple of classics that people haven’t heard before because we’ve never been before. So probably a couple more old school songs that would normally be performed in Europe.
Andrew: You have a fairly big selection of songs to choose from now, is it getting harder these days to pick a setlist?
Daniel: Yes it is getting harder to pick a setlist but it’s only now that we’re starting to be able to pick a setlist that is full of great songs. We’ve always had a couple of tracks that maybe was not as amazing as some of the others but now we’re getting to the point where all of the tracks are good.
Andrew: Are there any particular favorites that you prefer to play live?
Daniel: “Untouchable” is a big one, “Natural Disaster” is a big one. I would also say “Simple Mistake” [and] I would say “Distant Satellites” will be one of those.
Andrew: With all the musical changes that have happened within the band over the years, do you feel that there is no boundaries to what direction the band could go in?
Daniel: Well obviously I don’t think we will necessarily do rap or hip hop or jazz but I don’t know, it’s tough to see. There are some new elements coming in, the next record could have a couple of musical surprises once again, who knows? I think hopefully it will have.
Andrew: If there was anything that you wish you could do with the band that you have not been able to do yet, what would that be?
Daniel: I don’t know. There’s a few things but I would rather keep things in the realm of realism than to be daydreaming about playing at Wembley Stadium or something like that. I would rather be realistic but in that respect, quite happy really. Happy and lucky!
Andrew: If you could be a fly on the wall for the recording of any classic album in history, what would it be and why?
Daniel: “Revolver” by The Beatles because it’s probably the greatest Beatles album and they were being very fresh and very innovative and very amazing and they would have been very funny. And probably on drugs haha! I wouldn’t take the drugs with them anymore!
Andrew: What is the meaning of life?
Daniel: Love.
Andrew: Thanks so much for your time, it’s much appreciated and we will see you in Australia in August!
