Shearwater - Rook
(Matador) CD & LP
Texan band that garnered critical acclaim for their last release, Palo Santo. Shearwater end up sounding like what Bill Callahan or Will Oldham’s music would if it were channeled through more direct rock influences. Rook is majestic, meandering from the driving rhythms of “Century Eyes” to the epic, Radiohead-isms of “The Snow Leopard”. Vocalist Jonathan Meiburg weaves melodrama & bird imagery with the vocal histrionics of Scott Walker & Jeff Buckley. Many tracks smolder before revealing their true nature & this pacing (despite the short album length of 36 minutes) serves Rook well. For fans of Radiohead, My Morning Jacket, Wilco.