In 2007 Shearwater made the jump from Misra to Matador, culminating in a generously stocked reissue of 2006's excellent Palo Santo. It was a fitting partnership, as the band was beginning to settle into a more eclectic, rock-oriented outfit, raising the bar for its forthcoming "official" Matador debut. At just over 36 minutes, Rook is tailor-made for the dwindling attention span of the information age, but if ever the dated phrase "all killer, no filler" were to apply, it would be here. Jonathan Meiburg's gorgeous, melodramatic lyrics would reek with pretension out of anyone else's mouth, but his increasingly fluid and powerful voice, which is now caught somewhere between Jello Biafra, Jeff Buckley, and Tilt-era Scott Walker, demands full attention from the listener, a notion that often gets swept under the rug in the current lo-fi, D.I.Y. indie rock climate. The production is the band's most concise to date, thanks in part to the removal of at least half the amount of reverb used on previous recordings, allowing more percussive instruments like dulcimer, vibraphone, glockenspiel, harp, and banjo the chance to dance around the fire rather than disappear into the murky darkness that surrounds it. As with all Shearwater records, wildlife (specifically avian) imagery rules the roost. Starlings feast on dead crows, hunters wait in the melting snow for prey and pigs, oxen and even snow leopards drop in to assume positions of great metaphor. Opening track "On the Death of the Waters" plays out like the prologue of a maritime fairy tale, as the narrator waxes sublime from the prow of a ship to the strains of a delicate piano before exploding into a rage of brass, distortion, and drama that sounds like an outtake from Pink Floyd's The Wall. This "calm before the storm" aesthetic dominates Rook, and in another testament to its short running time, works beautifully, illuminating the few straightforward pieces like "Century Eyes," "Leviathan, Bound," and the brooding title track like a centuries-old woodcut, and allowing the tension that permeates the entire affair to ebb and flow naturally, resulting in one of the most heady and satisfying albums of the year.
Shearwater and Hospital Ships. October 19th, 2008 at Cafe 939 in Boston, MA. Photos by Cassandra Marino, words by Melissa Galindo. Last Sunday the aroma of espresso creations hung in the air while Shearwater tuned up and prepared for their set at Cafe 939 at Berklee. The slightly crowded stage barely held all five musicians and their abundant instruments. The anticipation from the crowd was...
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New Wax Matador recently put this digital EP from Shearwater containing some nice b-sides, live tracks, and radio recordings. The mini-album is built around "The Snow Leopard," which appeared on the band's critically drooled-over 2008 release Rook, and it also contains a handful of interesting covers. While the EP might not serve as the best introduction to the band, it's a sensible appe...
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On October 14 Shearwater will be releasing The Snow Leopard. This digital EP draws its title track from June's critically lauded Rook, and adds many of the non-album B-sides and giveaway tracks, plus several striking recordings from radio sessions over the past few months. All fully and beautifully remastered. As with Rook, the cover art derives from the work of the artists Kahn Selesnick. Th...
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rating 7.5summary More Xiu Xiu than shouting, Shearwater stretch benefit of the doubt thin - and ultimately prove they deserve it. Sometime in the last decade the world changed.I'm not talking about global warming or political apathy or youtube or three-legged swampfrogs giving birth to glow in the dark babies - I'm talkin: when did side-project bands become the norm and not a thin skinned ex...
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Shearwater's newest album, Rook, is spacious, powerful, almost medieval in presence. Their first album transcended them past mere Okkervil River side-project status - this one makes that association practically irrelevant.
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I went to a couple of shows in May...here's the first write-up, one more to come some day. Shearwater + Jennifer O'Connor7 May 2008: The Iron Horse — Northampton, MAShearwater, the Texan indie orchestra headed by Jonathan Meiburg (also of Okkervil River), has nailed the big dynamic surge, the transformation in a breath from breathy Talk Talk-ish imagery to strident rock choruses. Their most fr.
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I went to a couple of shows in May...here's the first write-up, one more to come some day. Shearwater + Jennifer O'Connor7 May 2008: The Iron Horse — Northampton, MAShearwater, the Texan indie orchestra headed by Jonathan Meiburg (also of Okkervil River), has nailed the big dynamic surge, the transformation in a breath from breathy Talk Talk-ish imagery to strident rock choruses. Their most fr.
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I'm not going to whine about it (well, maybe a little) but this has been a hellish spring for me, starting with the death of my dog on April 1, winding its way through difficult taxes, having to pass a homeland security clearance to coach jr. track (with fingerprints! and background check!), and just being insanely, insanely busy. last friday, for instance, my largest, least-turn-downable clie...
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On October 14 Shearwater will be releasing The Snow Leopard. This digital EP draws its title track from June's critically lauded Rook, and adds many of the non-album B-sides and giveaway tracks, plus several striking recordings from radio sessions over the past few months. All fully and beautifully remastered. As with Rook, the cover art derives from the work of the artists Kahn Selesnick. Th...
More >
--- - |- Jonathan and Kevin from Shearwater were in the studio of 101X (Chillville ) in Austin, TX yesterday morning performing the amazing tune "Rooks" from their latest Rook . Rook is out via Matador and available now here . Experience Shearwater: Sep 10 Paradiso Amsterdam Sep 12 La Maroquinerie Paris Sep 13 End of the Road Festival Dorset Sep 14 Zodiac Oxford Sep 15 Captain's Rest ...
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I'm completely on the fence regarding the Austin, TX band Shearwater. Maybe I just need some like-minded junkies' opinions on the matter. While I find the haunting, reflecting music of Jonathan Meiburg to be brilliant and hypnotic, I can't say that I'm in love with the vocals. In the last year or so, my eyes and ears have run across countless industry people who fawn over this group, and I'...
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rating 7.5summary More Xiu Xiu than shouting, Shearwater stretch benefit of the doubt thin - and ultimately prove they deserve it. Sometime in the last decade the world changed.I'm not talking about global warming or political apathy or youtube or three-legged swampfrogs giving birth to glow in the dark babies - I'm talkin: when did side-project bands become the norm and not a thin skinned ex...
More >
Shearwater's newest album, Rook, is spacious, powerful, almost medieval in presence. Their first album transcended them past mere Okkervil River side-project status - this one makes that association practically irrelevant.
More >
The onslaught continues -- this week's "2vet" playlist (that's what I name the weekly playlist of submissions each week) was 465 songs long. That's a totally absurd number of songs. Usually it's between 200 and 300, and during the summer months it's always been far less than that. Just what is going on? Will someone please tell me? Several of today's new acts can be shoehorned into the c...
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(photo: Nicholas Kahn)It's winter and it's raining, and that doesn't feel right. It's a juxtaposition of feelings, like when a person you hate does something nice for you, or your best friend makes a snarky, jealous remark about your new boyfriend. You know it's not improbable, but it still feels wrong.I find that the only way to set these days, when up is down and down it out and out in back...
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Free is good. The folks over at Matador Records have released another in their series of samplers. This one kicks off with Jay Reatard (Yeah!).Matador's Spring 2008 Intended Play SamplerDownload this free sampler (zip file) and get more information: here.Tracklisting:1. Jay Reatard “Always Wanting More” (from seven-inch #3, due out June 17)(listen to this track one one of Jenny's posts) 2. T
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Shearwater and Hospital Ships. October 19th, 2008 at Cafe 939 in Boston, MA. Photos by Cassandra Marino, words by Melissa Galindo. Last Sunday the aroma of espresso creations hung in the air while Shearwater tuned up and prepared for their set at Cafe 939 at Berklee. The slightly crowded stage barely held all five musicians and their abundant instruments. The anticipation from the crowd was...
More >
New Wax Matador recently put this digital EP from Shearwater containing some nice b-sides, live tracks, and radio recordings. The mini-album is built around "The Snow Leopard," which appeared on the band's critically drooled-over 2008 release Rook, and it also contains a handful of interesting covers. While the EP might not serve as the best introduction to the band, it's a sensible appe...
More >
| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 On the Death of the Waters |
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| 2 Rooks |
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| 3 Leviathan, Bound |
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| 4 Home Life |
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| 5 Lost Boys |
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| 6 Century Eyes |
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| 7 I Was a Cloud |
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| 8 South Col |
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| 9 The Snow Leopard |
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| 10 The Hunter's Star |
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Click to purchase…
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 "Rook")
