The Great Awakening

2016s propulsive and politically charged Jet Plane and Oxbow was a bit of an outlier in the Shearwater discography. Pivoting from the atmosphere-driven, ambient eco-pop of previous releases, the bands muscular take on 80s art rock elicited comparisons to Talk Talk, Japan, and Peter Gabriel while preserving its roots in anthemic 2000s indie rock. In the six years since its release, bandleader Jonathan Meiburg has kept busy furthering his biological studies in South America and writing a book about falcons, co-leading the like-minded Loma with Cross Records Emily Cross and Dan Duszynski, and releasing a live adaptation of David Bowies "Berlin trilogy." The Great Awakening hews closer to the groups earlier, more minimalist, outings than the sturm and drang of its predecessor. Patient, meditative, ornate, and elemental, the 11-song set grew out of instrumental recordings that Meiburg and Duszynski created during the early days of the COVID-19 lockdown. The fractured and emotive "Highgate" sets an elegiac tone ("Here comes your heart attack/Starless and bible black"), but through darkness comes light. The slow-burning "No Reason" parses the pain of rebirth, while the sturdy and cinematic "Xenarthran" and "Empty Orchestra" emit cool beams of philosophy-major conviction. From there, Meiburg and company continue to peer inward, seeking hope and enlightenment from the myriad ways the natural world responds to chaos. At first glance, some of these vistas feel barren. However, repeated spins reveal seemingly ambient set pieces that contain multitudes, with Duszynskis artful production and Meiburgs field recordings providing plenty of engaging moments. In finding and connecting the footholds between the austerity of The Dissolving Room and the dramatic sweep of Rook, Shearwater have crafted their most resolute, or shall we say Shearwatery, effort to date. ~ James Christopher Monger