Band:	Anathema
Album:	Hindsight
Style:	Atmospheric rock
Release date:	August 25, 2008
A review by:	Jeff

01. Fragile Dreams
02. Leave No Trace
03. Inner Silence
04. One Last Goodbye
05. Are You There?
06. Angelica
07. A Natural Disaster
08. Temporary Peace
09. Flying
10. Unchained (Tales Of The Unexpected)

Vincent and Danny Cavanagh are two guys who like to play live and when they're not playing with Anathema, they use to play together, or even alone, acoustics shows in small venues. I had the chance to see them three times that way and I can tell you that it's just wonderful. Originally played Anathema songs are great for sure but with an acoustic guitar they're also magic and I understand why the band chose to release this acoustic "cover-compilation". Hindsight is a must for the fans of the British combo, not surprising on a side but really beautiful and emotive.

Expect the new original "Unchained", the songs featured on Hindsight are all "old" songs of the Anathema discography. And it's good to listen to them again in a new acoustic direction. Sure the melodies are still the same and when you have a look on the track-list you probably already know that all these songs are exceptional. Their semi-acoustic versions (yes we still have some electric guitars for the soli and some percussion) are all really beautiful and really tender. Songs like "Flying" or "Angelica" are already really emotive and their new versions, of course, push this aspect to its maximum. Hindsight is a nice album, sure you'll not find anything new in term of melodies but the acoustic guitars give something more and in the end I think that I can tell that if the songs have lost some energy, they have won some melancholy, which is a perfect thing for a band like Anathema.

All the musicians are featured on the album and the performance of the new official second singer, Lee Douglas is really beautiful one more time. Though, I don't think that this new version of "A Natural Disaster" was a must because the original version is already really acoustic actually (not really but you see what I mean). The addition of the cello on a lot of the songs was also a really good idea but one more time I think that some people would prefer some really simple acoustic arrangements. It's just a matter of tastes really. Hindsight is a beautiful album and its recording and production is perfect. Really it's promising for the future of Anathema especially when you listen to the new song which is really well-done. If the new album follows this way, I'm sure that it will be great.

If you're a fan of Anathema, Hindsight is a must. Sure, some songs are missing (but we can expect one kind of similar album in the future, I'm quite sure of it), and there is nothing really new here but at least this is really beautiful and even if we don't have really old songs, which is a bad thing, we have great songs with perfect performances. If you like melancholic acoustic music, don't miss this release, this is a must and a good way to wait before the release date of the next Anathema album.