Search - Shearwater :: Golden Archipelago (Deluxe)

Energized and Still Beautiful

D. C. Casey | Brooklyn, NY, USA | 02/18/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Musically, Shearwater has taken a leap forward with this album. Mostly up-tempo tracks (very unusual for the group) with dense, rhythmic instrumentation, it's obvious that the theme behind the album has charged the band full of a potent and exciting energy. As someone who's only in it for the songs, without the benefit of the enormous informative booklet sold with the CD version, I feel like I might be missing an integral part of the experience, however, as the lyrics do not quite seem up to par.



Their previous albums contain lyrics that conjure haunting images or clear stories. The song "Rooks" is a master class in doomsday lyricism, and "Leviathan, Bound", while abstract, features the powerful statement "You are racing, alone" to anchor the song. The same is true with phenomenal tunes like "Seventy-Four, Seventy-Five" and the apocalyptic images of "Red Sea, Black Sea". The Golden Archipelago, on the other hand, seems to get lost in vague phrases that almost betray the power of the music and Jonathan Meiburg's incredible voice. For example, the fury of "Corridors" is similar to that of their previous track, "Century Eyes", but without the fascinating openly interpretable but evocative lyrics featured in the latter song.



While it's possible that Meiburg et. al. got a bit lost in this island-hopping concept, the album still stands as a fantastic sonic journey from one of the most interesting bands out there right now (with, I might add, one of my personal favorite vocalists of all time -- From his manic howls to his mournful falsetto, Meiburg is vocally in top form here). I greatly look forward to a future combination of their new found orchestration and their older, more open lyrical masterpieces."

Another great one

DKDC | Washington, DC USA | 04/04/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have listened only a couple times to the cd, but it did not disappoint. The only defect I heard in Rook was too much falsetto. I like the falsetto, but it seemed to be the main singing style on every song. Still a great album.



This time it is tuned down a little. And the song writing is as strong as ever.



Those are my only comments so far."

No banjo, but a lot more percussion. Excellent album, over

roebeet | Morrisville, PA | 02/19/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First off, my review is for the vinyl release which came direct from Matador Records.



I've been a Shearwater fan since "Rook", and have gone back and listened to some of their earlier efforts after-the-fact. Their new album is generally more upbeat to the point where I could consider them to fall into an "Indie rock" genre. I think this is a fantastic new album and could certainly add to their fan-base.



The standout track for me is "Castaways". It hooks you as soon as the chorus kicks in and doesn't let go until the final note - one of those rare songs that you don't have to wait for it to grow on you (If I were running the Grammy's, I would be putting this song in the running for best song of the year). But, the rest of the tracks on the album are quite good, as well - as a cohesive whole, it's very satisfying and I can easily play it from beginning to end with no track skipping. That's quite an achievement.



Do I like it better than "Rook" and their earlier efforts? Yes, I do. Five stars, and a big thumbs up. Well done."