Review By Chris Nowling: With their sixth effort, it’s unlikely Shearwater will impress many of their skeptics; The Golden Archipelago sounds a great deal like the beautifully executed albums that came before. But there’s something to be said for the refining of one’s sound rather than attempting to reinvent it, and the band has managed to create something that feels unique to their catalogue due to their continued commitment toward producing an album, as opposed to just a collection of singles. This approach is once again made evident in the perfectly sequenced ebb and flow of the songs comprising this record’s 38 minutes. It’s remarkable, then, on an album that seeks for complete harmony and cohesion, that there are perhaps more potential singles here (a relative term, of course) than there have been on any prior Shearwater release. It doesn’t have the dynamic range of 2008’s Rook, but the somewhat faster pace makes for a more immediate listen. The songs are more concise in structure, so while it isn’t actually much shorter than the group’s other records, it feels tighter and more manageable.

The attention to detail that has defined Shearwater throughout their career as a band is evident throughout, with each track presented in their familiarly spacious, grandiose manner and every sound in its right place. The delicate flourishes—soft ambient noise, subtle percussion, the occasional wash of strings—are presented modestly but add a great deal. Like other Shearwater releases, Archipelago demands rapt attention and some patience to immerse yourself in it completely, and it's best taken as a whole than in parts—though there are certainly stand-alone highlights. The weightier, more muscular moments impress before all else: the piano-led “Black Eyes” (bringing to mind Rook’s “Century Eyes” in both title and sound) and the surprisingly frantic “Corridors” are the most rock ‘n’ roll songs of the bunch, and first single “Castaways” is a thunderous epic featuring Meiburg’s most grandiose falsetto performance in some time. The band doesn’t exactly “cut loose” in these upbeat moments, but the songs carry an emotional resonance and taught intensity that makes them compelling.

The remaining tracks may not be as instantly memorable, but each can be appreciated just as much out of context as they can be as an essential part of the overall whole. The quieter moments blossom with time, and tend to seem just as stunning: opener “Meridian” begins with a chanted chorus of tribal singers and gives way to a haunting acoustic riff, an odd but somehow fitting introduction, while the churning “Landscape at Speed” and the gently flowing “Hidden Lakes” feature undeniably stirring vocal melodies atop soundscapes that would surely be engaging listens with no singing at all. Only once does the record falter—the pleasant but aimless “God Made Me,” which feels out of sorts among the consistently strong material and causes the center of the album to sag somewhat. But when considering the many laudable qualities, one misstep seems a small thing, and The Golden Archipelago more than proves itself as Shearwater's third consecutive triumph.

Last Word: Shearwater continues their streak of strong albums with another beautiful collection of songs that doesn’t expand much upon the group’s sound yet provides another entrancing experience just the same—along with a few career highlight singles.

Review By:
Chris Nowling

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