Rating: NNN
Shearwater get more ambitious with each release. Their latest – the third in a triptych that also included 2006’s Palo Santo and 2008’s Rook – features 11 songs about islands, both literal and metaphorical. For some bands, that might serve as a loose conceit, but Shearwater explore the concept from every angle. Opening with a recording of the national anthem of Bikini Atoll as sung by exiles in the South Pacific, the album shifts perspectives and runs the emotional gamut from sorrow to joy.
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As always, enjoyment of Shearwater hinges on your ability to stomach the Austin band’s unbridled exuberance. While many in the indie rock crop keep an ironic distance, Shearwater dive right in, loading each song with grand, shifting arrangements, while Jonathan Meiburg’s (ex-Okkervil River) overblown, unrestrained vocals soar over top. Luckily, they keep things relatively concise. If this album were any longer, it would be exhausting.
Top track: Black Eyes
Shearwater play Lee’s Palace April 1.
