Quarterlifeparty

I’ve been a huge fan of Shearwater since they blew me away with their super-intimate/intense show at the backstage of the Black Cat.  The band is made up of a couple former members of Okkervil River, and while Okkervil is very good, i have to say i have grown to enjoy Shearwater even more.  That said it can come off as a little intense (especially his voice), so it’s probably not for everyone.  If you really wanna get the full experience, see them live, and it will give you a whole new appreciation for their recorded material.

So keeping with the “holy shit, 2010 is gonna be crazy for music releases” theme, Shearwater will be releasing The Golden Archipelago on feb. 23rd.  You can pre-order it HERE and get 15% off (the album includes a “50-page perfect-bound book that is a set of extracts from a dossier of records, photos, regulations and images collected by Shearwater’s Jonathan Meiburg”.  So there’s that.

Here is a song from the album the band was nice enough to release in order to wet your whistle (yes, i just said that).  It’s an epic/end-of-the-world-hope type vibe I have come to expect from the band, and lead singer Jonathan Meiburg’s almost-operatic voice is front and center.  Not gonna lie, pretty excited for the full album (and their tour in the spring).

Shearwater – Castaways (MP3)

More details on the album after the jump:

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I went through about 2 months this year where it seemed like all I listened to was Shearwater. That was mainly spurred on by seeing them put on an amazing show at The Black Cat and the release of Rook. My favorite song on that album was “Snow Leopard”, so it’s cool to see them put out an EP based around that song.

The EP starts off with the title track, but then delves into some un-released material, a Baby Dee cover of “So Bad”, as well as some amazing live songs. It’s a great EP from a band that i don’t think gets as much coverage as they should. If you get a chance to see them live, do it…you won’t be disappointed. tour dates after the jump. Buy the EP here, for a measly $5.60.

 

Shearwater – Snow Leopard (MP3)

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Oooo, Wye Oak and Shearwater in one night.. would have been a good night to be at the Hi-Dive in Denver. Head over to Flat Response to listen to and download both sets. Also check out a review of the show here.

For two people, Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack had a huge sound. Although Wasner’s girlish but resonantly powerful voice would have been impressive enough on its own, her guitar work was phenomenal, and for his part, Stack played great bass lines while also playing powerful, tribal drums. I don’t know if Wasner uses loops to accomplish her gigantic, sweeping riffs, but I did see her play some of the most interesting indie rock guitar lines of the last decade. Visions of having seen Helium and Yo La Tengo washed through my head as the band’s all-too-short set progressed.

Wye Oak “Magic Johnson” (Live @ The Hi-Dive, Denver)

This must be a new song and MAN does it have an awesome guitar riff in the end.

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Shearwater @ The Black Cat this year has held up for me as being one of the best live shows we had seen all year. Here is a live video of them playing recently at Florence Gould, NYC on 5.5.2008.  If anything, it gives you another chance to see thor.

Tags: Uncategorized, live , shearwater , video