The Gathering
Home (The End)
by Scott Hefflon
Another delicious offering from The Gathering. These guys and gal morph creatively with each passing release, and Home is no exception. While the chill trip-hop of Souvenirs will probably remain my favorite, because it’s gorgeous from end to end, a high point in any career, and trying to match or top it is like expecting yer next painting gig to trump that Mona Lisa thing ya just finished, Home holds its own, offering live-sounding drumming instead of the lush caress of technology in the right hands. Anneke’s voice still soars above the tinkerings and pulses and throbs, always sounding vaguely Irish to these ears, but that’s because Enya, Sinead, and The Cranberries got to them first, and that catch in the throat will put a lump in yours, no matter what the country of origin. These Dutch rockers accomplish what The Cure do: They can rock out without needing to stomp about a stage, throwing their hair, making guitar faces, and showing off their new tats and piercings, and they can hang in the shadows, letting a delicate piano line waft lazily like the smell of Jasmine accompany Anneke’s soft voice.
Another fine addition to the catalog of this 15 year old band – one recommended to fans of Evanescence, Portishead, The Cure, Lacuna Coil, Coldplay, and so on – but a band who are artists in their own right, creating, recreating, fine-tuning, and adjusting light and texture as they desire.
(www.theendrecords.com)