Jonathan Meiburg recently quit Okkervil River to focus his attention fully on Shearwater and I believe it shows. That is not to say that the other recordings are subpar, just that Rook, the new Shearwater record is startlingly exquisite. The haunting opener On the death of the waters is quiet and beautiful only to be shattered with the crashing waves of its bridge. The bouncing march of Rooks filled with howls and trumpets. Leviathan, bound follows with a percussive Philip Glass type structure that creates a certain urgency and tension that is not resolved until the final phrase. The clean simplicity of Home Life with its Sylvianesque mood, sounds like it could be straight off of Secrets of the Behive. Absolutely gorgeous. The balance of the record is just as wonderful. This is meaty music. I got my copy direct from Matador last week and I am still letting it sink in. There is much to absorb and enjoy here.
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