by Steve Joyce
Daniel Cavanagh has one of the most distinctive musical identities of anyone in modern progressive rock, and a consistently impressive discography to match. His distinguished recording career dates from 1993, with eleven albums by the much loved (and missed) band Anathema and his high quality solo release from 2017, ‘Monochrome’.
Writing all the music and lyrics and performing vocals, guitar, bass and keyboards,‘Ocean Without A Shore,’ the first album released under the ‘Weather Systems’ name (referencing Anathema’s 2012 opus) is very much a Cavanagh solo record in all but name. He’s ably supported by former Anathema drummer Daniel Cardoso and singer Soraia Silva, who provides many of the most beautiful moments on the album. Vocalists Petter Carlsen, Paul Kearns and Oliwia Krettek also make effective contributions.
Says Cavanagh, “This record takes you on a journey with some very personal, intense, and emotional songs. It’s spiritual for me. The music is coming from a higher place, so I hope it touches you.”
It certainly does! The album has nine stirring and emotional songs that at their best rival any high points of Cavanagh’s illustrious career.
Opening track ‘Synaesthesia’ has several movements in its nine minutes. Lyrically an apparent homage to how love works in mysterious ways, there’s a pulverising guitar riff that would sound at home on Anathema’s ‘Judgement’ (this reviewer’s favourite album of theirs), atmospheric piano and a truly rousing guitar solo delivering a crescendo that is classic Cavanagh. I can imagine how brilliant this song would be in a concert setting!
‘Do Angels Sing Like Rain?’ begins in relatively upbeat, jangly fashion and transforms to a glorious rock song driven by Cardoso. The “bottom of the lake” imagery is graphic. In fact, beginning with its title, ‘Ocean Without A Shore’ is laced with vivid aquatic metaphor throughout its penetrating lyrics. Maybe it’s time for Marillion to pass on their coveted ‘death and water’ mantle? While others debate that, Cavanagh’s lyrics fully immerse the listener in strong moods that complement the music superbly.
Up next is my favourite song on the album, ‘Untouchable Part 3’ (Parts 1 and 2 appear on Anathema’s 2012 masterpiece ‘Weather Systems’). The lyrics take you from desperation to hope (“I miss you everyday/ In every single way/ It’s more than I can bear/ Breathe the new day air”) and Soraia Silva delivers what is for me, the album’s standout performance. Her vocals here convey vulnerability and authentic emotional rawness, tempered by a steely internal strength; they’re exquisitely graceful, generating genuine goosebumps and chills. The soaring string section coda is phenomenally good. What a marvelous song this is!
‘Ghost in the Machine’ has an infectious offbeat rhythm, resolving, via Cavanagh’s and Silva’s soulful vocals, into a gorgeous guitar melody that showcases just what a fine musician Cavanagh is. ‘Are You There Part 2’ – presumably a sequel to Anathema’s ‘Are You There’ from 2003’s underrated ‘A Natural Disaster’ – flows along nicely and is characteristically atmospheric without being especially exciting.
Sixth track ‘Still Lake’ quickly reasserts the album’s authority. An energetic piano surrounds lush vocal harmonies from Cavanagh, Silva and Carlsen. With wall of sound guitar riffs, swirling keyboards and more evocative imagery, this song perfectly encapsulates Cavanagh’s songwriting prowess and is a major highlight of the album.
‘Take Me With You’, featuring more poignant vocals from Silva, starts sparsely and gradually adds more layers which build to a stunning denouement.
Title track ‘Ocean Without A Shore’ also begins ethereally; here, a vocoder makes a rare but welcome 21st Century appearance, adding diversity to the album’s sonic palette. The music then bursts into energy and grows in intensity around an insistent ‘less-is-more’ keyboard motif. Cardoso contributes a fine performance here.
Album closer ‘The Space Between Us’ is dominated by multi-layered ‘tribal’ vocals – imagine the otherworldly Indian crowd chant in the unforgettable scene from sci-fi epic ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’. A true earworm, I find myself humming the melody long after the album has finished. The music here generates a palpable sense of wonder and awe. The climax achieved on this track rivals, and may even surpass, the incredible achievement of ‘Hindsight’, the epic closer to Anathema’s “We’re Here Because We’re Here’ (2010); a magnificent way to end this entrancing, impactful album.
‘Ocean Without A Shore’ is a startlingly dynamic album that adds hugely to Cavanagh’s extraordinary canon of stimulating music, both solo and with Anathema. With visceral lyrical imagery, the aquatic motifs also pervade the music: there are passages of glacial majesty, torrents of ferocious power, serene tranquillity and at all times a natural, relentless energy.
There are many moments of breathtaking brilliance, and in “Untouchable Part 3” and “The Space Between Us,” the album blesses us with two of the best songs of the year. With Cavanagh’s immediately identifiable sonic signature, quite simply, ‘Ocean Without A Shore’ is a must-buy for any fan of Anathema’s music, especially their latter few albums. But this should also be heard by any lovers of quality music who may be new to the Anathema/Cavanagh catalogue.
Released on Sept 27th, 2024 on Mascot Label Group
Order here: https://lnk.to/weathersystems
Track list:
01 Synaesthesia 09:11
02 Do Angels Sing Like Rain? 05:06
03 Untouchable Part 3 05:55
04 Ghost In The Machine 04:53
05 Are You There? Part 2 05:58
06 Still Lake 05:58
07 Take Me With You 06:09
08 Ocean Without A Shore 07:17
09 The Space Between Us 06:04
Personnel:
Daniel Cavanagh – vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, programming, vocoder, string arrangements
Daniel Cardoso – drums
Soraia Silva, Petter Carlsen, Paul Kearns and Oliwia Krettek – vocals
