Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
Language available : english
In 2007 Shearwater made the jump from Misra to Matador, culminating in a generously stocked reissue of 2006's excellent Palo Santo. It was a fitting partnership, as the band was beginning to settle into a more eclectic, rock-oriented outfit, raising the bar for its forthcoming "official" Matador debut. At just over 36 minutes, Rook is tailor-made for the dwindling attention span of the information age, but if ever the dated phrase "all killer, no filler" were to apply, it would be here. Jonathan Meiburg's gorgeous, melodramatic lyrics would reek with pretension out of anyone else's mouth, but his increasingly fluid and powerful voice, which is now caught somewhere between Jello Biafra, Jeff Buckley, and Tilt-era Scott Walker, demands full attention from the listener, a notion that often gets swept under the rug in the current lo-fi, D.I.Y. indie rock climate. The production is the band's most concise to date, thanks in part to the removal of at least half the amount of reverb used on previous recordings, allowing more percussive instruments like dulcimer, vibraphone, glockenspiel, harp, and banjo the chance to dance around the fire rather than disappear into the murky darkness that surrounds it. As with all Shearwater records, wildlife (specifically avian) imagery rules the roost. Starlings feast on dead crows, hunters wait in the melting snow for prey and pigs, oxen and even snow leopards drop in to assume positions of great metaphor. Opening track "On the Death of the Waters" plays out like the prologue of a maritime fairy tale, as the narrator waxes sublime from the prow of a ship to the strains of a delicate piano before exploding into a rage of brass, distortion, and drama that sounds like an outtake from Pink Floyd's The Wall. This "calm before the storm" aesthetic dominates Rook, and in another testament to its short running time, works beautifully, illuminating the few straightforward pieces like "Century Eyes," "Leviathan, Bound," and the brooding title track like a centuries-old woodcut, and allowing the tension that permeates the entire affair to ebb and flow naturally, resulting in one of the most heady and satisfying albums of the year.
© James Christopher Monger /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From 12,49€/month
Shearwater, MainArtist - Jonathan Meiburg, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Domino Publishing, MusicPublisher - Thor Harris, AssociatedPerformer - Domino Music Publishing, MusicPublisher - Howard Draper, AssociatedPerformer - Polyborus Music (ASCAP), MusicPublisher - Kim Burke, AssociatedPerformer
2008 Matador Records 2008 Matador Records
Shearwater, MainArtist - Jonathan Meiburg, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Domino Publishing, MusicPublisher - Thor Harris, AssociatedPerformer - Domino Music Publishing, MusicPublisher - Howard Draper, AssociatedPerformer - Polyborus Music (ASCAP), MusicPublisher - Kim Burke, AssociatedPerformer
2008 Matador Records 2008 Matador Records
Shearwater, MainArtist - Jonathan Meiburg, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Domino Publishing, MusicPublisher - Thor Harris, AssociatedPerformer - Domino Music Publishing, MusicPublisher - Howard Draper, AssociatedPerformer - Polyborus Music (ASCAP), MusicPublisher - Kim Burke, AssociatedPerformer
2008 Matador Records 2008 Matador Records
Shearwater, MainArtist - Jonathan Meiburg, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Domino Publishing, MusicPublisher - Thor Harris, AssociatedPerformer - Domino Music Publishing, MusicPublisher - Howard Draper, AssociatedPerformer - Polyborus Music (ASCAP), MusicPublisher - Kim Burke, AssociatedPerformer
2008 Matador Records 2008 Matador Records
Shearwater, MainArtist - Jonathan Meiburg, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Domino Publishing, MusicPublisher - Thor Harris, AssociatedPerformer - Domino Music Publishing, MusicPublisher - Howard Draper, AssociatedPerformer - Polyborus Music (ASCAP), MusicPublisher - Kim Burke, AssociatedPerformer
2008 Matador Records 2008 Matador Records
Shearwater, MainArtist - Jonathan Meiburg, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Domino Publishing, MusicPublisher - Thor Harris, AssociatedPerformer - Domino Music Publishing, MusicPublisher - Howard Draper, AssociatedPerformer - Polyborus Music (ASCAP), MusicPublisher - Kim Burke, AssociatedPerformer
2008 Matador Records 2008 Matador Records
Shearwater, MainArtist - Jonathan Meiburg, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Domino Publishing, MusicPublisher - Thor Harris, AssociatedPerformer - Domino Music Publishing, MusicPublisher - Howard Draper, AssociatedPerformer - Polyborus Music (ASCAP), MusicPublisher - Kim Burke, AssociatedPerformer
2008 Matador Records 2008 Matador Records
Shearwater, MainArtist - Jonathan Meiburg, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Domino Publishing, MusicPublisher - Thor Harris, AssociatedPerformer - Domino Music Publishing, MusicPublisher - Howard Draper, AssociatedPerformer - Polyborus Music (ASCAP), MusicPublisher - Kim Burke, AssociatedPerformer
2008 Matador Records 2008 Matador Records
Shearwater, MainArtist - Jonathan Meiburg, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Domino Publishing, MusicPublisher - Thor Harris, AssociatedPerformer - Domino Music Publishing, MusicPublisher - Howard Draper, AssociatedPerformer - Polyborus Music (ASCAP), MusicPublisher - Kim Burke, AssociatedPerformer
2008 Matador Records 2008 Matador Records
Shearwater, MainArtist - Jonathan Meiburg, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Domino Publishing, MusicPublisher - Thor Harris, AssociatedPerformer - Domino Music Publishing, MusicPublisher - Howard Draper, AssociatedPerformer - Polyborus Music (ASCAP), MusicPublisher - Kim Burke, AssociatedPerformer
2008 Matador Records 2008 Matador Records
Albumbeschreibung
In 2007 Shearwater made the jump from Misra to Matador, culminating in a generously stocked reissue of 2006's excellent Palo Santo. It was a fitting partnership, as the band was beginning to settle into a more eclectic, rock-oriented outfit, raising the bar for its forthcoming "official" Matador debut. At just over 36 minutes, Rook is tailor-made for the dwindling attention span of the information age, but if ever the dated phrase "all killer, no filler" were to apply, it would be here. Jonathan Meiburg's gorgeous, melodramatic lyrics would reek with pretension out of anyone else's mouth, but his increasingly fluid and powerful voice, which is now caught somewhere between Jello Biafra, Jeff Buckley, and Tilt-era Scott Walker, demands full attention from the listener, a notion that often gets swept under the rug in the current lo-fi, D.I.Y. indie rock climate. The production is the band's most concise to date, thanks in part to the removal of at least half the amount of reverb used on previous recordings, allowing more percussive instruments like dulcimer, vibraphone, glockenspiel, harp, and banjo the chance to dance around the fire rather than disappear into the murky darkness that surrounds it. As with all Shearwater records, wildlife (specifically avian) imagery rules the roost. Starlings feast on dead crows, hunters wait in the melting snow for prey and pigs, oxen and even snow leopards drop in to assume positions of great metaphor. Opening track "On the Death of the Waters" plays out like the prologue of a maritime fairy tale, as the narrator waxes sublime from the prow of a ship to the strains of a delicate piano before exploding into a rage of brass, distortion, and drama that sounds like an outtake from Pink Floyd's The Wall. This "calm before the storm" aesthetic dominates Rook, and in another testament to its short running time, works beautifully, illuminating the few straightforward pieces like "Century Eyes," "Leviathan, Bound," and the brooding title track like a centuries-old woodcut, and allowing the tension that permeates the entire affair to ebb and flow naturally, resulting in one of the most heady and satisfying albums of the year.
© James Christopher Monger /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 10 track(s)
- Total length: 00:38:14
- Main artists: Shearwater
- Composer: Jonathan Meiburg
- Label: Matador
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock Alternative en Indie
2008 Matador Records 2008 Matador Records
Improve album informationWhy buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.