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Shearwater
It's year three for Shearwater on See You In The Pit, and we couldn't be happier to tell you what's up with the band in 2007. After releasing the critically acclaimed Palo Santo in 2006 and weathering a shift in label management at Misra, Shearwater have landed butter side-up on the newly revamped Matador roster.
There are plans to re-release a rerecorded and expanded (and prettified, thanks to some new album art) version of Palo Santo, a concept album that's half the chronicle of lead singer Jonathan Meiburg's treks to the Galapagos Islands on scientific ventures and half a valentine to the late Christa Päffgen (better known to the world as Nico, as in The Velvet Underground and...)
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"When I hear recordings of us playing live recently, it sounds to me like we're heading for something, aiming at someplace, somewhere otherworldly and lovely and a little bit evil, and that we're closer now than before." -- Jonathan Meiburg, 2004
Otherworldy. Lovely. Evil. Those are the words of Jonathan Meiburg -- frontman, multi-instrumentalist, and ornithologist -- that perfectly describe the music of his band, Shearwater. I'm a little hesitant to quote his words here, but I feel that in order to describe the band to you, some input from a primary source -- besides the songs themselves -- is imperative.
Shearwater's music is intensely intimate and personal, but not self-absorbed. And when belted out by Mr. Meiburg in his clear, reedy tenor, the band's songs swoop organically -- from whispered, sinister moments to bombastic, triumphant melodic passages and back again -- like a predatory bird in flight, circling its quarry and going in for the kill.
For a long time, it seemed that Shearwater was a kind of hidden treasure of the Austin music scene -- just a little side project of members of the more well-known outfit, the eclectic Okkervil River. But they've settled, after some personnel changes (including the departure of Okkervil River's Will Sheff, who shared lead vocal duties with Mr. Meiburg, and temporary fiddler Travis Weller), into a more or less into a stable lineup that includes (in addition to Mr. Meiburg on vocals, keyboards, guitar, banjo, and occasionally, the accordion) Kim Burke on the upright and electric bass, Howard Draper on keyboards, lap steel, and occasional bass, and multi-percussionist Thor Harris.
And goodness gracious, over the past few years, Shearwater have finally come into their own -- wonderfully otherworldly, lovely and yes, just a little bit evil -- and are poised to reach a wider audience than ever. And it's about damn time.
Shearwater - Red Sea, Black Sea (New)
Shearwater - Mountain Laurel
Shearwater's official site. Sit tight and buy the new version of Palo Santo from Matador on April 10. Shearwater's back catalog is available from Misra Records on iTunes and Amazon.
Posted by Little Miss Rock'n'Roll at 02.27.07 at 8:00 AM
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