Fronted by multi-instrumentalist and former Okkervil River player Jonathan Meiburg, Shearwater’s always captivating, yet typically sparse, rock explodes in this one-of-a-kind performance, as Meiburg, drummer Thor Harris, bass player Kimberly Burke, and touring pals Jordan Geiger and Kevin Schneider soar through some of The Golden Archipelago’s finest moments. Check it out here.

On Canvas airs Wednesdays at eight on Philadelphia’s PBS member station, WHYY-TV channel 12. Viewers outside the Philly area can watch the series online at video.whyy.org.

This week, folk rock duo Wye Oak — with a little help from Shearwater’s Jonathan Meiburg — take a stab at The Kinks’ “Strangers.” Removed from the oft campy context of Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One, Wasner, Stack, and Meiburg rework the track into an emotional indie rock ballad that, I dare say, better captures Dave Davies’ original lyrical intentions. The guitar solo is pretty sweet too.

Wye Oak covers The Kinks

Foals
04/12 Berlin, Germany – Columbia Club
04/14 Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paradiso
04/15 Paris, France – Trabendo
04/17 Bourges, France – Le Printemps de Bourges
04/29 Liverpool, England – The Kazimier
04/30 Newcastle, England – Northumbria University
05/02 Glasgow, Scotland – Glasgow ABC1
05/03 Leeds, England – Leeds Met Students Union
05/04 Manchester, England – The Ritz
05/07 Nottingham, England – Trent University
05/14 Dublin, Ireland – Ambassador Theatre
05/15 Tønsberg, Norway – Slottsfjell Festival
05/16 Ferropolis, Germany – Melt! Festival
05/18 Benicassim, Spain – Benicassim Festival
06/01 Niigata, Japan – Fuji Festival
08/27 Paris, France – Rock En Seine
08/28 Leeds, England, Leeds Festival

Great Lake Swimmers
04/16 St. John’s, Newfoundland – Majestic Theatre
04/17 St. John’s, Newfoundland – Fred’s Records
04/18 St. John’s, Newfoundland – JUNO Award Show
04/23 St. Catharines, Ontario – Sean O’Sullivan Theatre
05/30 Colorado Springs, CO – La Foret Conference & Retreat Center
06/04 Brockville, Ontario – Brockville Arts Center
06/11 Ann Arbor, MI – The Ark
06/12 Evanston, IL – Space
06/13 Madison, WI – 21st Marquette Waterfront Festival
06/14 Chicago, IL – Downtown Sound
06/19 Burlington, Ontario – Spencer Smith Park
06/29 Winnipeg, Manitoba – Winnipeg Jazz Festival
07/08 Ottawa, Ontario – Cisco Systems Bluesfest
07/16 London, Ontario – Home County Festival

Image by Norman Wong

Jamie Lidell
04/27 New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
04/29 Los Angeles, CA – Troubadour
05/07 Koln, Germany – Burgerhaus Stollwerck
05/08 Hamburg, Germany – Knust
05/09 Berlin, Germany – Festssall Kreuzberg
05/13 Zurich, Switzerland – Kaufleuten
05/14 Lyon, France – Nuits Sonores Festival
05/17 Brussels, Belgium – Nuits du Botaniques
05/18 Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paradiso
05/19 London, England – 229
05/21 Paris, France – Alhambra
05/22 Rome, Italy – Dissonanze Festival
05/29 Antalya, Turkey – SunSplash Antalya Festival
06/09 Philadelphia, PA – World Cafe Live
06/10 Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
06/12 Toronto, Ontario – The Mod Club
06/14 Vancouver, British Columbia – Venue
06/16 Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge
06/18 San Francisco, CA – The Independant
07/31 Quebec, Montreal – Osheaga

Plants and Animals
04/20 Toronto, Ontario – Horseshoe Tavern
04/21 Quebec City, Quebec – Theatre Petit Champlain
04/22 Montreal, Quebec – La Tulipe
04/23 Ottawa, Ontario – Babylon
04/24 Peterborough, Ontario – The Red Dog
04/26 Minneapolis, MN – Varsity Theatre
04/28 Winnipeg, Manitoba – West End Cultural Centre
04/29 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan – Amigo’s
04/30 Edmonton, Alberta – Starlite Room
05/01 Calgary, Alberta – The Legion
05/02 Kelowna, British Columbia – Habitat
05/04 Victoria, British Columbia – Sugar Nightclub
05/05 Vancouver, BC – The Commodore Ballroom
05/13 Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop
05/14 Columbus, OH – The Basement
05/15 Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
05/16 Omaha, NE – Slowdown
05/18 Denver, CO – Larimer Lounge
05/19 Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court
05/20 Boise, ID – Neurolux
05/21 Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios
05/22 Seattle, WA – The Crocodile
05/25 San Francisco, CA – The Independent
05/26 Visalia, CA – The Cellar Door
05/27 Los Angeles, CA – Troubadour
05/29 Tuscon, AZ – Plush
05/31 Denton, TX – Hailey’s
06/01 Austin, TX – Emo’s
06/02 New Orleands, LA – One Eyed Jacks

Ra Ra Riot
04/12 San Luis Obispo, CA – Downtown Brewery
04/13 Visalia, CA – Cellar Door
04/14 Oakland, CA – The New Parish
04/16 Indio, CA – Coachella Music Festival
04/27 West Liberty, IA – Secrest 1883 Octoganal Barn
04/28 Milwaukee, WI – Turner Hall Ballroom
04/29 Lake Geneva, WI – N1204
04/30 Monticello, IL – Kalyx Center
05/01 Maquoketa, IA – Codfish Hollow Barn
06/05 Houston, TX – Free Press Summer Fest (Eleanor Tinsley Park)

Rufus Wainwright
04/11 Southampton, England – Southamption Guildhall
04/13 London, England – Sadler’s Wells
04/15 Glasgow, Scotland – Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
04/16 Edinburgh, Scotland – Usher Hall
04/17 Sheffield, England – City Hall
04/19 Gateshead, England – The Sage
04/20 Birmingham, England – Symphony Hall
04/22 Manchester, England – Apollo Theater
04/23 Bristol, England – Colston Hall
04/25 Nottingham, England – Royal Concert Hall
04/26 Oxford, England – New Theatre
04/28 Dublin, Ireland – Grand Canal Theatre
04/29 Ipswich, England – Ipswitch Regent Theatre
04/20 Krems, Austria – Danube Festival (Halle 1)
05/02 Brussels, Belgium – Palais des Beaux Arts
05/03 Paris, France – Theatre Mogador
05/05 Madrid, Spain – Teatro Circo Price
05/06 Porto, Portugal – Coliseu
05/07 Lisbon, Portugal – Aula Magna
05/09 Bilbao, Spain – Palacio Euskalduna
05/11 Barcelona, Spain – Grand Teatre del Liceu
05/12 Lyon, France – Le Transbordeur
05/13 Florence, Italy – Teatro Comunale
05/15 Milan, Italy – Conservatorio
05/16 Zurich, Switzerland – Kaufleuten
05/17 Munich, Germany – Muffathalle
05/19 Berlin, Germany – Volksbühne
05/21 Lund, Sweden – Lundakarnevalen
05/22 Oslo, Norway – Sentrum Scene
05/24 Tallinn, Estonia – Nokia Concert Hall
05/25 Helsinki, Finland – House of Culture
05/27 Stockholm, Sweden – Filadelfiakyrkan
05/29 Warsaw, Poland – Palladium
05/30 Copenhagen, Denmark – Radio Concert Hall
05/31 Hamburg, Germany – Kampnagel
06/02 Cologne, Germany – Theater am Tanzbrunnen
06/03 Amsterdam, Netherlands – Carre
06/15 Toronto, Ontario – Elgin Theatre
06/17 Toronto, Ontario – Elgin Theatre
06/20 Sainte-Foy, Quebec – Salle Albert-Rousseau
06/21 Montreal, Quebec – Theatre St-Denis
07/03 London, England – Kenwood House
07/04 Brighton, England – Brighton Centre
07/11 Westhampton Beach, NY – Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center

Shearwater
04/06 Minneapolis, MN – 400 Bar
04/07 Grinnell, IA – Grinnell College
04/08 Lawrence, KS – Bottleneck
04/09 Norman, OK – Opolis
04/10 Dallas, TX – The Loft
04/22 Phoenix, AZ – Rhythm Room
04/23 Tucson, AZ – Club Congress
04/24 Los Angeles, CA – Spaceland
04/25 San Francisco, CA – Bottom of the Hill
04/27 Portland, OR – Doug Fir
04/28 Vancouver, BC – The Biltmore
04/29 Seattle, WA – Triple Door
04/30 Pullman, WA – The Belltower
05/01 Boise, ID – Neurolux
05/02 Salt Lake City, UT – The State Room
05/04 Denver, CO – The Walnut Room
05/07 Austin, TX – The Parish

Image by Nicholas Kahn

Tokyo Police Club
04/06 Waterloo, Ontario – Starlight
04/07 St. Catharines, Ontario – Isaacs Bar and Grill
04/08 Hamilton, Ontario – Rokbar

04/09 Peterborough, Ontario – The Red Dog
04/17 Indio, CA – Coachella Music Festival 2010
04/27 Millvale, PA – Mr. Small’s Theatre
05/29 Neustrelitz, Germany – Immergut Festival
05/30 Hamurg, Germany – Uebel and Gafaehrlich
05/31 Berlin, Germany – Lido
06/01 Koln, Germany – Luxor
06/02 Munich, Germany – 59:1
06/04 Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paradiso
06/05 Brussels, Belgium – Botanique/Witloof Bar
06/07 Manchester, England – The Ruby Lounge
06/08 London, England – Scala
06/09 Atlanta, GA – The Taberlacle
06/11 Manchester, TN – Bonnaroo
06/12 Orlando, FL – Club at Firestone
06/13 Miami Beach, FL – The Fillmore
06/14 Tampa, FL – The Ritz Ybor
06/16 New Orleans, LA – House of Blues
06/17 Houston, TX – Warehouse Live
06/18 Austin, TX – Stubb’s
06/19 Austin, TX – Stubb’s
06/21 Dallas, TX – Palladium Ballroom
06/23 St. Louis, MO – The Pageant
06/25 Royal Oak, MI – Royal Oak Music Theatre
06/27 Philadelphia, PA – Mann Center
06/29 Brooklyn, NY – Prospect Park Bandshell
06/30 New York, NY – Governor’s Island

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

Meiburg, out of costume, performs the song in a less epic setting:

“Hidden Lakes” is off The Golden Archipelago, which is out now digitally and will drop in physical form on Tuesday (02/23), courtesy of Matador.