I mentioned how over the past month or so that i’ve been listening to some albums from earlier in the year. Shearwater’s Palo Santo was one of those albums. In fact, i’ve been listening to it on and off for months. I just seem to gravitate towards it whenever i’m look for something to listen to. When I first mentioned it back when I first started the Daily Graboid, I had always wanted to come back to review it in full but I simply just never got around to it. Even though I think it takes a lot of effort on the listener’s part to fully appreciate it, the reward is well worth it. It gets better with each and every listen and even though mentioned as an overlooked album this year, I can guarantee it will be somewhere on my short-list of favorites at the end of the year.
For those who don’t know, Shearwater was originally conceived in 2001 as a side project of Okkervil River members Jonathan Meiburg and Will Sheff as an outlet for more quieter songs. After three albums and an EP, their fourth album Palo Santo finds Meiburg writing all the songs and taking over all the lead vocals. Which is a good thing as his voice takes center stage and just aims for the jugular with the different facets of his vocal ability that are displayed here. It’s a really hard album to describe for me as at times it soars with an anger of unflinching emotion with songs like “Red Sea, Black Sea” and “Seventy-four, Seventy-five” while a song like “La Dame et la Licorne” simply captivates with such a simple approach of the soft strain of Meiburg’s voice that is broken by an occasional piano chord. It’s still one of the most amazing songs i’ve heard all year as it soars with a Jeff Buckley quality, which I know seems like a tired comparison but I really get that sense everytime I listen to it. It almost feels painful listening to it as it’s amazing how so much emotion could come from something almost enveloped in silence.
Like I said before, the singing is breathtaking. If there was a weak track on this album (which there isn’t), Meiburg’s voice could easily carry it and make it worthwhile. Thankfully that isn’t the case with any of the songs, as the instrumentation is perfectly matched as it ranges from subtle keyboards and string instruments to loud guitars and drums. This is soft chamber-rock for the uninitiated and if there was one word I could use to describe all of this it would be….stunning. I’ve never been a fan of Okkervil River so don’t let that influence you when listening as Palo Santo has it’s own identity and sound that hopefully you will find just as deserving of your attention as I did.
Shearwater | Palo Santo
Shearwater | “La Dame Et La Licorne”
Shearwater | “Red Sea, Black Sea”
Shearwater | “Seventy-Four, Seventy-Five”
Shearwater | “Johnny Viola”
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