Customer Reviews

How to Measure a Planet

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

There's a lot of divisiveness found in the reviews for this CD. A lot of reviewers offering a low score dislike the album for its lack of heaviness -- its dissimilarity to Mandylion and Nighttime Birds. The only response I can offer is that it's too bad they think this way. Bands change, except for maybe Stratovarius and AC/DC. And The Gathering has changed, stepping away from the doomy metal of Mandylion and Nighttime Birds and embracing an ethereal pop/rock approach. Haunting emotions, powerful atmospheres, and gorgeous keyboard orchestrations characterize How To Measure A Planet?. Personally, I think The Gathering embraces this new style beautifully: sparse guitars and drums, often mysterious keyboard folds, and the lambent, distinctive voice of Anneke van Giersbergen. When you put it all together, it really seems that there's nothing the band isn't capable of.

There is a morose determination in How to Measure a Planet?, evidenced immediately with the sad "Frail", which is borderline dream pop -- haunting chords selections, auspicious atmosphere, seductive production work, and bare vocals. There are traces of Nighttime Birds, but the sharp edges are polished and rounded. Even "Liberty Bell", the hardest track on the 100+ minute album, fits perfectly with its shimmering feedback and reliance on sonic texture. Other songs like "Rescue Me" or "Travel", combine edgy bursts of noise with the production's dolorous glow. On "Red Is A Slow Color", van Giersbergen's vocals are sweet and light with an accompaniment of jittery drums and dramatic keyboards. Other songs are sonically assaultive -- for instance, the dense electronics and percussion of "Probably Built in the Fifties" -- but never really "heavy" in the sense of Mandylion and Nighttime Birds.

Alternating between fascinating and bizarre (perhaps intentional in both regards) is the 30-minute title track, an schizophrenic instrumental of ear candy and chaos. Beginning with busy odd-time drum beats and, mounting guitar textures, it deconstructs into walls of sound with some familiar melodies lingering in the background. It's very strange, but I enjoy it -- not necessarily as a song, but as an audio experience. In the dark with headphones, it's a powerful track of music/sound.

I've been slow collecting The Gathering's CDs. Finally, I can compare and contrast Manylion through If_Then_Else, and I think How to Measure a Planet? is perhaps the most challenging of the bunch. An excellent album for those willing to follow the band down their new path.

I am quite simply out of words to describe this. It's simply one of those albums that requires a few good listens, not just words to justify buying it. But I'll try my best to get to the point.

The Gathering really outdid theirselves with this 1998 release, their fifth studio album, and third with singer Anneke van Giersbergen (who contributed to Ayreon's Into the Electric Castle that same year). Not even their 2000 follow-up, If_Then_Else could compare. With this masterpiece, they took the sound they had, stretched it out a bit, used a more layered style of songwriting, and experimented with their instruments to make each piece stand out. The concept behind this 2-disc journey encompasses the theme of travel. Meaning we get songs about roads, maps, planets, planes and voyages through space.

Lyrically, the Gathering are at their peak, crafting atmospheric stanzas to create a relaxing mood. This album is a tad more uptempo than previous works, but the results are more than satisfying. Anneke sounds at her best, listen to her calm, low singing on "Frail", or her psychedelic wailing (if you can call it that) on the catchy-as-hell "Liberty Bell". The guitars sound great, and complement each song (especially the slower ones) quite well. Bass is not lost throughout production, and the drumming fits perfectly. One of the things I respect about the Gathering is that, although they are a symphonic band, they never let the keyboards dominate the music like so many others have.

Disc 1 kicks off with the appropriate opener, "Frail (You Might As Well Be Me)", a slow-tempo, moody track that can easily define the songwriting of HtMaP?. Next is the more relaxed-sounding "Great Ocean Road", a personal favorite - Anneke sounds so beautiful on this one ("It is all there - the earth and the ocean - they contain the power of our lives"). She even plays backing guitars on two songs, "My Electricity" and "Locked Away". The former is a comfortable ballad, a song that will stick with you from the moment you hear it and never wear out. The single "Liberty Bell" - damn! Another song to be imprinted in your memory for all eternity. I can never seem to forget the lyric "we are sitting in a chair" - this song refers to a rocket ride into space. "Marooned" is absolutely hypnotizing, and "Travel" does a good job of closing Disc 1. This is by far my favorite of the 2 discs, no weak tracks.

Opening disc 2 is the instrumental "South American Ghost Ride", which I don't listen to all that much but is still good. Then comes "Illuminating", by far my favorite track off of both discs. Again, Anneke really shines on this one ("I will feel great without my weight holding me down"). "Probably Built in the Fifties" is my 2nd favorite ("I trust the speed until I have no need to run anymore"). Definitely not to be overlooked. The only track that isn't all to interesting is the closing instrumental self-titled track. Anneke does some wailing on this, but there are no lyrics. It drags on for a half hour but most of it is filler. It doesn't really ruin anything though. I hear they had originally planned to scrap this disc, but I am most certainly glad they did not.

What more is there to say? How to Measure a Planet is one of the best records I own, it is my favorite album of the Gathering and probably the 2nd or 3rd favorite of my entire CD shelf. A definite must for those seeking a musical journey.

10/10

This album is actually the six bajillionth album by our friends The Gathering, but it is the third one that is graced with the unmatched crystalline beauty of Anneke Van Giersbergen's voice. I spoke with her at a concert in New York, she is a very smart and down-to-earth woman. Much like Anneke herself, the music on HTMAP is smart. Soft, subtle grandeur can be found in wistful tales such as "Frail" and "My Electricity" with their smooth drifting guitars and Anneke's awesome voice sailing and soaring through the sound waves. Most of the songs on HTMAP reflect despair. Wistful gems like "Red is a Slow Colour" and the instrumental and wonderfully titled "South American Ghost Ride" bring the listener near to tears. Haunting melodies and a gorgeous trachea breathe sadness and darkness into these tunes. One fault that this album possesses is that many of the songs are slower. They are all wonderful, but listening to the album straight through can bore the listener. The CD is picked up off the floor by the high aural intensity of "Liberty Bell" and the masterpiece of the album, "Great Ocean Road." I took to the song "Great Ocean Road" because it is most reminiscent of NIGHTTIME BIRDS, their best album to date. The album is made up of two discs of material, every single song a treasure except for the what-the-hell-were-they-thinking 33 minute-long title track which closes out the album. Much of the song is not singing or music at all, but speaking. This, however, does not overshadow the brilliance of the other fine tunes. I give this album the top rating and my highest recommendations. I also urge listeners to seek out the other two (Anneke included) The Gathering CDs: NIGHTTIME BIRDS and MANDYLION. The Gathering is probably one of the greatest bands to grace my CD player.

This is perhaps my favourite Gathering disc, although the crunchy, delicate _Mandylion_ remains a favourite. This the band in full on experimental mode, letting fly with dreamy synths, pseudo-techno beats, personal, insular acoustic tracks and, of course, Anneke's heavenly vocal range.
There is definitely a shift in tone from the _Mandylion_, _Nighttime Birds_ records to this one, a switch mainly manifested in a decrease in overall heaviness and the above mentioned increase in experimentalism. Over the course of two discs the band allow themselevs space to reach out in many directions, and it is surely a measure of their proficiency and the remarkable overall quality of their writing ability that most tracks are winners. 'Frail' and 'Rescue me' see the band run the emotional gammut, with shifting dynamics and heartfelt choruses. As always everything is very tatestfully done: there is very little in the way of excess or cheese and every player contributes well to produce an overall effect of clarity and unity, the songs being loosely linked by ideas of travel, motion and general change.
'Liberty Bell' is more high octane, verging on metal with intensity,'Travel' is epic and GORGEOUS, especially the emotive conclusion (Anneke!). Real delights lie on the second disc, with 'Probably bulit in the fifties' and 'Illuminating' among the best tracks here.
Recommended highly to open-minded listeners, this is probably not the place to start with the band: you cant go wrong with _Mandylion_ to begin. Nevertheless, this is a stunning piece of work that showcases just how much The Gathering are capable of.

I discovered this band late. However after buying their albums after being exposed to this great band through "Souvenirs" I believe this is The Gathering's great work. However it takes many listens to begin to appreciate it.

On a basic level compared to other Gathering albums, the songwriting appears to be simple and the band appears to be holding back in the playing department never quite taking off into full "rock out" mode with raging guitars and double kick drum moments that graced their previous albums....However, the gathering apply the "less is more" approach with stunning results. The songs have space and openess compared to Mandylion and Nighttime Birds. But more importantly, the band finally learned how to make a album sound not based on trying to recreate the "live" feeling in the studio. The band and their producer and engineer succeeded because this thing is one of the best recorded albums I own. The sonics and textures on this thing are a marvel. I hear the band was influenced by Radiohead's "Ok Computer" when they recorded HTMAP (another album, if one remembers that took some time to figure out it was a masterpiece as well)

Sonics alone a great album doesn't make. This thing also has just mind blowing moving music similar to the scope of early 70's Floyd Albums. And on top of that, this album contains what I consider one of the greatest rock songs of all time, "Travel". A Requiem for Mozart of sorts and at nine minutes, a song that never becomes boring after several repeated listens.(quite a feat)

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kdc

I'll admit. The first time I had ever listened to this album, I thought it wasn't very good. It was long and boring, with not much variation or excitment. The only track that stood out on the first listen was "Liberty Bell". But as I listened to it about 3 or 4 more times, it finally hit me. This was the most atmospheric and amazing album I had listened to in quite some time. The beautiful instrumental performances with violins and guitars sounding fused together like they belong. The album gives you more than 100 minutes of music and every second of it is something new and innovative that will surely grab your attention. My personal favorite songs on here are "My Electricity", "Travel", "Locked Away", and "Probably Buily in the Fifties". Great album.

This album has put off a lot of people because it is softer than their previous ones. One reviewer mentioned how this isn't really metal; well, I'd have to agree completely. The Gathering moved FAR beyond metal for this double CD, alternately simplifying and deepening their sonic approach. The reverb-heavy, semi-prog "anthem" style of Mandylion isn't here in large amounts. Instead, more straightforward melodies, less 'labyrinthine' arrangements and simpler (almost rough) production prevails, albeit with a lot of VERY interesting (and original!) keyboard sounds and loops... in a way, it has a techno-garage feel to it. But the results are just wonderful. The songs float by you, moving sound pictures in a vaguely psychedelic fashion, but the Gathering don't REALLY sound like any other major band here. Some tracks are slightly weaker, and may have a sameness to them, such as the seemingly deliberate melody repetition in "Frail" and "Travel" (which I, personally, think is a great touch, adding continuity). But if you take an open-ended approach, rather than wanting to 'rock out' to this album, you will come away very moved by these songs. Nowhere is this more true than with the title track. Everyone trashes it for being too long, just a wash of white noise, etc..... But that's what makes it AMAZING! Listen to it as an experience (headphones on, eyes closed and all), not a song. It should make sense then. When I first did this (and I've had the fortune of never listening to this without headphones on and the lights off), I seriously couldn't move after the song ended. What an experience. Two CD's worth of material, even if it is as deep as this music is, is still a lot to warrant, perhaps too much at times (as said, several of the songs sound very similar). The result is that you will unlikely ever listen to it ALL at once, but if that's the case, look at it as two completely seperate albums. It's still fantastic music: inventive, but so pretty it can't help but be accessible. Four and 1/2 stars.

I was very excited when I heard there was a new album of The Gathering and I immediately bought it. But hey, where is that typical heavy guitar sound that was on the two other albums? There are only a few songs that have that special The Gathering sound. Okay, the album sure sounds great and is well produced, but next time put more songs like 'Liberty Bell' on the album.

I have just one thing to say about this album. "Listen to it the first time (it's OK) Listen to it a second time (it's pretty good) Listen to it again and it will be added to your collection of favorites. This is one of those albums that you really have to open up your minds to and listen to their inner talents and creativity. If you are a person who loves the gothic style rock-pop of The Gathering then give this album a shot. The 1st time I heard it I was a little "Hmmmm?" myself. 18 final words of wisdom....BUY IT! It will grOW on you and keep growing and growing and growing and growing and growing.

I got this after If_Then_Else the album released after that one.. If_then_else was amazing for its moody music and amazing vocals. This album preceeds it with much more complex songs, AMAZING vocals and even more moody ethereal music. Songs like Marooned, Frail, The Big Sleep among others provide the ethereal sense. While other songs like Great Ocean Road and Libert Bell are a bit heavy (NOT AT ALL LIKE NIGHTTIME BIRDS OR MANDYLION.. MUCH MUCH SOFTER). Anyway, even the title song, which is overly long i must admit is amazing, if you think of it as an experience rather than a song.

Here's my song-by-song review:

CD1:
Frail - Great mood setter. Very Ethereal.
Great Ocean Road - AMAZING song in all aspects. Rock lovers will like this one very much. One of my favourites.
Rescue Me - Very soft. Not really that amazing
My Electricity - The guitar combined with the voice combined with synths is all we need.
Liberty Bell - The hardest song on the cd. I got bored of it quickly.
Red is a slow colour - I can't decide how i feel about this song. but it's great i know that.
The Big Sleep - For me, this is the moodiest most ethereal spacey song on the cd. I love that kind of stuff.
Marooned - Great in all aspects. The lyrics are great. Everything.
Travel - A bit long but still very good.

CD2:
SA Ghost Ride - AMAZING instrumental
Illuminating - good song. Lacks a bit tho. plus its a bit redundant.
Locked Away - Amazing guitar opener. Anneke being vengeful. JUST GREAT
Probably built in the fifties - Great song. Changes alot in the middle.
HTMAP - A great audio experience that should not be missed. As mentioned before, close the lights and lay flat and listen to this. GREAT

My absolute favourites off the CD:
Great Ocean Road, Red is a slow colour, The big sleep, Marooned and Locked away

My advice is to go get If_Then_Else first, it offers a bigger variety. If u have it and u liked songs like Amity, Saturnine, and Analog Park.. Get this CD, it offers much much more..