Austin Sound

With last year’s excellent remastered re-issue of Palo Santo by leading indie imprint Matador, Shearwater finally flashed the stunning sound that local fans knew they were capable of. Rook ups the ante far more than anyone could have imagined, however, evoking Jonathan Meiburg’s swooning vocal range and grand vision to full effect. Simply put, Rook establishes Shearwater among Austin’s leading indie exports alongside Spoon and Okkervil River, and with the recent announcement that the trio will be opening shows this summer for Coldplay, they’re hardly any longer a local secret. And needless to say, the unfortunate Okkervil offshoot tag has been firmly laid to rest.

Meiburg’s gorgeously trembling trill has long awed Austin, so much so that it’s become somewhat familiar and taken for granted. Shearwater’s fifth LP dramatically re-asserts that power, though, with Meiburg assuming a confidence and control like never before and the band complimenting with a balance of swelling arrangements and delicately hushed intimacy.

I was fully expecting for the evening to start and end with Shearwater, but to my surprise at 9pm another local known as Follow That Bird took the stage. Personally, I couldn’t help but think that the trio’s sound, which is essentially very raw indie rock with some pop sensibilities, seemed like an odd choice to get people ready for an orchestra-backed Shearwater, but they’re a good act and I certainly wasn’t upset at the opportunity to see them again.

This Thursday, Shearwater unveils their new album, Rook, at the Parish in a special show featuring a mini orchestra and video projections. The group’s official debut on Matador, which will be released next week, is Shearwater’s most impressive effort to date, harnessing both the crescendoing power and subtle beauty of Jonathan Meiburg’s songwriting and vocal range. We spoke with Meiburg about the upcoming show and album, as well as his recent decision to leave Okkervil River, the preponderancies of modern geography, and the fact that “there’s nothing worse than the sad cello.”

Friday, April 4, 2008

Artist: Shearwater
Label: Matador
Genre: Indie Rock

“Shearwater’s knack for the epic is already well documented, but with all due respect to their prior efforts, the broad sweep of Rook’s 10 songs is like nothing else you’re likely to experience in 2008.”

In general, a message like that on an artist’s website would make me wonder what in the world they were doing when they decided to become the most confident act on Earth. However, when it comes from the mouth of Matador Records it seems like a reasonable claim.