if_then_else
Occupation
- Vocals: Anneke van Giersbergen
- Guitar: René Rutten
- Bass: Frank Boeijen
- Guitar: Hugo Prinsen Geerligs
- Drums: Hans Rutten
If_then_else is the sixth album by the Dutch progressive rock band The Gathering. The album was released on 3 July 2000 via Century Media. It was the last studio album for Century Media.
Formation
The songs were while touring the last album, How to Measure a Planet? written. For the first time The Gathering produced an album on their own. The recordings took place in three different studios at the same time. First, the drums were recorded within twelve days in Koeienverhuurbedrijf Studio. After a small tour followed by the Netherlands before, bass, keyboards and string instruments were included in the S & K studio guitar. Most recently, the band returned to the studio to Koeienverhuurbedrijf the guitar solos and the vocals take. A total of 17 songs were written, eleven of which were used for the album. The song " Amity " was still out during the recording of a jam session.
Was mixed and mastered by Attie if_then_else constr in Bauwhaus in Amsterdam. During this process, constr had to struggle with technical problems, as the different recording formats (tape, A- DAT and Pro Tools ) were not compatible with each other.
Background
Most of the songs deal with the issue of the speed of human development. In an interview the singer Anneke van Giersbergen declared that every person at the high pace of development breaks needs to breathe fresh energy. The album cover, which was recorded in the station of Nijmegen, illustrates this statement. On the front you see passing by passers-by, which are difficult to detect due to their fast walking. On the back cover you see the band members as they stand watch the action. The album title if_then_else refers to the standard branch instruction of many programming languages.
The song " Colorado Incident " refers to an experience of the band on the previous U.S. tour. Due to overbooking, exhaustion and illness, the band had to cancel a concert in Colorado. Between "Analog Park" and " Herbal Movement" you can hear excerpts from the children's book Alice in Wonderland. At the end of "Beautiful War" you can hear the goal celebration of football fans. In addition to " Beautiful War" are with the final " Pathfinder " two instrumentals on the album. " Herbal Movement" is a song about natural drugs. Bad Movie Scene concerned with the fact that life is sometimes unfair.
Reception
If_then_else was adopted primarily positive by the music press. According to the then Metal Hammer editor in chief Robert Mueller, the album sets the path of the previous album consistently continued, is " compact, enriched with more guitar roar, accessible and failed warmer". Mueller missed six of seven points. Boris Emperor of Rock Hard magazine described the album as a high- than-average work, which but rather as a link between Nighttime Birds and How to Measure a Planet? would have fit. By contrast, growth Thorsten Gürntke of the Baby Blue Pages of the opinion that not if_then_else "to the class of albums like How to Measure a Planet? or Mandylion reaches as " and some songs " have to be long-winded. " Gürntke rated the album with seven out of 15 points.
In the German album charts if_then_else reached number 76, the highest placement of the band's history in Germany. In the homeland of the band, the Netherlands, it was enough for 47th place
Title list
Singles such
Rollercoaster
Advance the song " Rollercoaster " was released as a single. Besides the title song, the single contains the title song of the film The Cyclist and a live version of the song "Leaves ", which the band recorded in 1996 with the Metropolitan Orchestra. To this end, the music video for is to see the " Liberty Bell ".
Amity
The second single, the song " Amity " was disengaged. In addition to a radio version is the theme song in four remix versions, and in a live version on the single. In addition, there is to hear a Talk Talk cover version of "Life is What You Make It ". The cover of the single shows a childhood photo of the brothers Hans and René Rutten, where the band members were six and three years old.