Distant Satellites
2014 studio album by Anathema
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Distant Satellites (stylised as distant satellites) is the tenth studio album by the British rock band Anathema. It was released in June 2014 via Kscope and reached #33 in the UK album charts.
| Distant Satellites | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 4 June 2014 | |||
| Recorded | Cederberg Studios, Oslo | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 56:40 | |||
| Label | Kscope | |||
| Producer | Christer-André Cederberg | |||
| Anathema chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Distant Satellites | ||||
Background and recording
The album was recorded at Cederberg Studios in Oslo, with producer Christer-André Cederberg,[3] with some songs also mixed by Steven Wilson due to an operation on Cederberg's back.[4]
The artwork was created by Korean new media artist Sang Jun Yoo, and based around his "Distant Light" installation.[3]
The band released a statement on their new album prior to its release:
distant satellites is the culmination of everything ANATHEMA been working up to so far in our musical path. It contains almost every conceivable element of the heartbeat of Anathema music that it is possible to have. There is beauty, intensity, drama, quietude, and extra musical dimensions that the band have previously only hinted at. All built on the song writing chemistry of Daniel, John and Vincent - and the haunting voice of Lee Douglas.
This is the first album to feature Daniel Cardoso as the band's primary drummer, replacing longtime member John Douglas. Douglas has since moved to electronic percussion and keyboards.
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 80/100[5] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
| Drowned in Sound | 8/10[7] |
| The Guardian | [8] |
| PopMatters | [2] |
| Sputnikmusic | 3.7/5[9] |
| Metalholic | [10] |
Distant Satellites received positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 80 based on ten reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[5] The album ended the year at the 9th position of the 2014 Metal Hammer best albums list,[11] as well at the 2nd position from Metal Hammer writer Adam Rees.[12]
Despite a generally positive review, Sputnikmusic did lament the familiarity of it all stating, "Anathema stumbled onto musical gold when they crafted the formula used on We're Here Because We're Here. It's a formula they would be crazy to dismiss, and that's probably why they haven't... Overall, Anathema have struck gold for the third time in a row, but for the first time there are some prominent flaws as well."[9]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Daniel Cavanagh, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Lost Song Part 1" | 5:53 |
| 2. | "The Lost Song Part 2" | 5:47 |
| 3. | "Dusk (Dark Is Descending)" (D. Cavanagh, Vincent Cavanagh) | 5:59 |
| 4. | "Ariel" | 6:28 |
| 5. | "The Lost Song Part 3" | 5:21 |
| 6. | "Anathema" | 6:40 |
| 7. | "You're Not Alone" (D. Cavanagh, Jamie Cavanagh, John Douglas, V. Cavanagh) | 3:26 |
| 8. | "Firelight" | 2:42 |
| 9. | "Distant Satellites" (Douglas, V. Cavanagh) | 8:17 |
| 10. | "Take Shelter" | 6:07 |
| Total length: | 56:40 | |
Singles
- The Lost Song Part 3 Digital Single/EP
- "The Lost Song Part 3" - 5:22
- "Coda" (Non-album track) - 1:12
- "The Lost Song Part 3 (Ambient Mix)" - 5:28
Personnel
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Charts
| Chart (2014) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[13] | 42 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[14] | 42 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[15] | 58 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[16] | 64 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[17] | 18 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI)[18] | 82 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[19] | 12 |
| Polish Albums (ZPAV)[20] | 9 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[21] | 77 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[22] | 33 |
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[23] | 9 |
| US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[24] | 24 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Japan | 4 June 2014 | Kscope |
| Germany | 6 June 2014 | |
| Sweden | ||
| Switzerland | ||
| United Kingdom | 9 June 2014 | |
| Canada | 10 June 2014 | |
| France | ||
| United States |