Jonathan Meiburg calls the many talented musicians who contributed to Shearwater’s new album “the wildest ensemble we’ve ever assembled.” He’s not really overstating things, either. In addition to regular bandmates Emily Lee and Dan Duszynski, “The New World” features Shahzad Ismaily, Xiu Xiu’s Jamie Stewart, Thor Harris, woodwinds player Doug Wieselman, qanunist Farouz Zreik, ngonist Mamadou Kouyate, and percussionists Mahamadou Tounkara and Moctar Kouyate (of Malian group Ngoni Ba). Oh, and spoken word by one Laurie Anderson.
If you don’t know what some of those instruments are (or some of the musicians who play them), you are not alone, but just know that Shearwater puts them all to good use. About three minutes into the album, on the beautiful, slowly pulsing “Even Song,” a slow build-up leads to a minor chord being unleashed on an acoustic guitar. It has the kind of widescreen ’80s grandeur that brings to mind Trevor Rabin-era Yes, early Peter Gabriel, and Love and Rockets, a tiny moment that awakens your senses, letting you know something special lies ahead.
“The New World” is a Shearwater album of the highest order: lush, proggy, and orchestral; dramatic, just a little gothy, mysterious, and full of wonder and towering melodies. Produced by the band and recorded and mixed by Duszynski, it sounds amazing. (Headphone Album alert!) In addition to all the skilled players and exotic instruments, Meiburg layered the songs with field recordings made on expeditions around the world — he is a geographer and ornithologist when not playing in bands. “I used to worry about keeping those worlds separate,” Meiburg says. “But now it all feels like one big project.” Shearwater’s universe is expanding, and it is a thing of beauty worth getting lost in.
