Shearwater ^ The Golden Archipelago

Austin's Jonathon Meiburg and Co. just dropped their latest album, the Golden Archipelago, via Matador at midnight. The album is the third by the group, Shearwater, in its triptych of albums broaching the subjects of environment, decay and the largely negative effects of human activity on the natural world. These subjects are near to the heart of Meiburg, who's formal education was in the realm of orinthology and field research. This third, and final, panel in the triptych focuses specifically on the natural processes specific to the isolation of island environs. Early purchasers of the album even received a full-color, 50-page dossier based on Meiburg's studies on islands at the fringes of our globe. The video above has been streaming on Shearwater's website in promotion of this release for some months and is pretty compelling on its own.

I haven't had a chance to fully process this follow up to the gorgeous Palo Santo and Rook yet, but, a cursory listen reveals the usual drama, lushness, and epic scope of those earlier releases. As usual the instrumentation is dynamic and accomplished and Meiburg's voice absolutely soars. In short this is a band with lofty goals and accomplishments in terms of both intellectual and creative content, as well as emotional solicitation.