Shearwater
The Golden Archipelago
Matador
Shearwater’s latest full-length, The Golden Archipelago, dropped early last week and thusly proved itself an aptly titled offering. Produced by Grammy-nominated John Congleton, the 11-track album is rooted in frontman Jonathan Meiburg’s scholarly experiences on various islands, including the Galapagos. An avid birder, Meiburg travelled throughout the world collecting data and taking photographs of different species and their habitats, and these expeditions lend themselves to The Golden Archipelago, from its namesake right down to its thematic elements (for the non-outdoorsmen reading this, a shearwater is a long-winged seabird). The quintet, made up of Meiburg, Kimberly Burke, Thor Harris, Jordan Geiger, and Kevin Schneider, was also joined at times by a 10-man backing band, whose contributions add further depth to the album as a whole.
Those familiar with Shearwater’s previous work might initially scramble to find standout tracks such as “Rooks” and “Century Eyes,” both of which appear on the band’s 2008 release, Rook. However, this recent effort makes up in totality and cohesiveness what it lacks in single-worthy tracks. Here, the whole is bigger than the sum of its parts, as the songs flow effortlessly from one to the next. Essential to this is the sequencing of the tracks, which, if disturbed would leave the listener yearning for a climax that would never arrive.
In “Black Eyes”, Meiburg calls out powerfully, treating listeners to an upbeat welcome that opens an otherwise calm album. “Corridors” is a standout among the tracks, featuring heavier, hectic drumming and a sense of urgency in Meiburg’s voice. “Runners of the Sun” is a slower, well-layered orchestral tune, and the following number, “Castaways,” features a pacing that mirrors the ebb and flow of the oceans tide. The closing song, “Missing Islands,” with its minimalistic sound and simple-yet-powerful lyrics to match, is a perfect farewell.
Along with the album, the band also sold limited-edition copies of The Golden Dossier, a 52-page book comprised of photos and field notes from Meiburg’s studies that he felt related to the world of The Golden Archipelago (Physical copies are sold out, but a PDF is available via the band’s website). One particularly quirky image is a man proudly holding a violin made of matchsticks. On the band’s blog, Meiburg comments on the portrait, saying, “to me, the image illustrates both the fragility and the resilience of human cultures, and the way that, even given the most minimal resources, we always strive — sometimes wonderfully, sometimes horribly — to make with our hands the worlds that we see in our minds.” Which is exactly what he and the rest of Shearwater have elegantly achieved with The Golden Archipelago.
Main image by Nicholas Kahn
