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.”

Is this really news? Well, kinda. Though Jonathan Meiburg, the angelic voiced frontman and songwriter for Shearwater, hasn’t played with Okkervil River for a while, he had never really left the group that he helped found with Will Sheff. In fact, as Sheff himself noted in our interview with him way back last year, Meiburg is all over Okkervil’s latest album.

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.

2/22/07
It seems that all the speculation was true. Even before the Misra shakeup in the merger with Absolutely Kosher, Shearwater was seeking new label options. Matador co-pres Gerard Cosloy responded back enthusiastically to the band’s inquiries and it wasn’t long before the major indie swooped down and offered Shearwater a deal.

Rumors about the new relationship had recently surfaced on both the Matador and Shearwater message boards when it seems some premature fluk of web-design accidentally listed the band on the label’s roster. But today Matador made an official announcement via Pitchfork that Shearwater would indeed be joining the label and that they would be reissuing the group’s most recent album - last year’s break-out LP Palo Santo.

12/18/06
Since opening its doors at the end of summer, the Mohawk has certainly lived up to its dedication to the community. Not only have they put together some of the best local lineups in town (and always for low cover!), they have also lent their support to any number of causes in town. This Saturday the 23, they’re helping host a show to benefit Safeplace and Capital Area Food Bank. After costs, all proceeds from the event will go to support these causes.

Among the performers on board are Bill Callahan (though we’re not exactly sure what differentiates a Callahan performance from a Smog performance), Shearwater, and Brian Sookram and the Weird Weeds’ Nick Hennies. Other acts and events are in the works as well, but really, with a roster like that and the money going to such worthy organizations, what more can you ask for?