Album Details

• Artist: Shearwater
• Album: The Golden Archipelago
• Label:
• Year of Release: 2010
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: tosnob on 2010-03-17

Shearwater has come a long way since they began nearly a decade ago. The side project for Jonathan Meiburg has morphed into a fully realized entity with a life of it's own. The band are on the verge of releasing their sixth studio album, the sweeping The Golden Archipelago.

This is not a record you can pop in and out of. While individual songs like the powerful "Black Eyes" can stand on their own, you really need the context of the entire work to be able to properly grasp the scope of the album.

From the get go, "Meridian" sets you up with falsetto vocals, piano, and a gauzy atmospheric haze that serve as aural images of natural wonder. Emotive guitars and seemingly life-giving percussion help take the listener on a journey that evokes thoughts of everything from choppy sea swells ("Corridors") to that eerie feeling you get when you are alone in the misty woods ("Hidden Lakes").

The vocal range on the album is quite broad. Meiburg's delivery ranges from the aforementioned falsetto, to an introspective hush, to triumphantly soaring ("Castaways").

The Golden Archipelago leaves one with the lasting impression that they have been part of a cinematic experience. And this is one experience you'll be happy to relive over and over again.

User Reviews and Comments

Review:

on 2010-05-04 Jonathan_Kroening Said:

Shearwater closes out a musical trilogy with grace and import.

The beauty of Shearwaters The Golden Archipelago can be likened to a majestic landscape under destruction of catastrophe. There is a palpable sadness that is engaging and yet distant, as if the view is of someplace far away. With cohesion and understatement Jonathan Meiburg creates the perfect follow-up to 2008s Rook.

A more seamless outing than its predecessor, The Golden Archipelago is prone to stretches of increased subtlety, where the memorable moments are a bit faint. Lacking some of the punch and climax that gave Rook a more stately posture, Shearwaters third album in the assumed trilogy, doesnt have the same backdrop with which to play on its nuances. This leaves it feeling a little pale and muted on occasion. While The Golden Archipelago will reward listeners as they soak in its waves, it only ebbs in comparison to its predecessor. Had Rook not already accomplished that by which The Golden Archipelago abides, it would no doubt be a groundbreaking triumph.

In the stunning anticipation felt through Castaways, to the jubilation of Black Eyes, and the sincere moments of dark beauty found in Missing Islands, Shearwater provide a remarkable conclusion to this sonic odyssey.

4 / 5 stars

-Jonathan Kroening
http://www.itsjustmusic.net
Rating: 8/10