Texan based band Shearwater have been creating music for 27 years, but it’s only now that their cinematic music has nudged its way under my radar. For studio album number twelve, entitled The New World, the band have opted to crowdfund and release the album themselves. Featuring German church bells and blackbirds. Tasmanian rivers, forest ravens and coyotes in the California mountains, vocalist Jonathan Meiburg, Emily Lee and Dan Duszynski were joined by a host of musicians. Multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily, Doug Wieselman (Saxophone/Clarinet), qanunist Farouz Zriek, Leo Abrahams (guitar), ngonist Mamadou Kouyate, percussionists Mahamadou Tounkara and Moctar Kouyate all helped out. Drummer Thor Harris also appears for good measure! Recorded in London, Berlin, New York and Texas, the album was superbly engineered by Duszynski and produced by Leo Abraham and Danny Reisch, who also mixed the album.
Opener ‘Even Song’ has a twitchy urgency as folk and electronic plates crash into each other. The atmospheric is broody as Jonathan’s voice soars with a smooth falsetto. The detail in the instrumentation is stunning, layered with a host of samples and sounds. In the same way Talk Talk used space and silence to permeate their winding songs, Shearwater pull in the same magic on ‘More and More’. The main piano riff holds the whole thing together as shuffling drums underpin the beautifully arranged jazzy instrumentation. Jonathan floats in the mix using his voice as an instrument to wondrous effect.
The key changes used in ‘Daydream Unbeliever’ are just outrageous. Seemingly taking turns that just ought not work, the swerving piano and strings will right royally fuck with your head. It’s truly remarkable and a work of utter genius. ‘A Mink in the Dust’ shakes and skanks with a complex percussive pattern and jazzy guitars and piano. There’s a worldly atmospheric to the song, most likely brought about from the collective of excellent musicians. There’s some serious alchemy at work in the nocturnal ‘The Only Sound I’m Afraid Of’ which could darken the brightest room. The layers of sounds and the menacing prowl of the guitar and piano really does transport the listener to the edge of darkness.
‘The High Ranges’ has a brighter hue with a playful piano and shuffling percussion underpinning a host of delightful instrumentation that seems to float in the ether. When the saxophone sashays in, I wish I had a room with a big sound system to lie back and enjoy this incredible music. The brilliantly named ‘Slugs in the Marigolds’ rolls with a gleeful tempo, practically skipping out of the speakers. Something of a red herring amidst the moody atmospheric, it’s the kind of joyous ditty that could be the bait for a wider audience.
By way of redirecting us back to the dark side, the perfectly pitched ‘Anamnesia’ acts as a bridge to the final devastating song. Jonathan’s voice is pure and captivating as he soars with a stunning falsetto. If the album’s emotional weight hasn’t got to you by now, the final track will absolutely break your heart. The rolling pianos and gentle guitars provide the beautiful backdrop for Laurie Anderson to recall vivid memories of losing a loved one. It is simply breathtaking.
This year is shaping up to be a remarkable year for new music. Despite most of my listening veering into heavier sounds this album has struck me by offering up silence and space as key components. I was a latecomer to enjoying the music of Talk Talk, able to appreciate their widescreen sound with age. It’s the same with Shearwater, this is my first foray into their music, and I look forward to embracing their back catalogue. The New World is a captivating album with rich detail and stunning musicianship. In a word, wondrous.
