Shearwater tend to resurface every few years to deliver otherworldly mood pieces that feel surprisingly familiar. Listeners are invited to enter the world of polymath frontman Jonathan Meiburg, who approaches his music with the same wonder as he does scientific study. The New World, the band’s 11th record, presents a brilliant synthesis of the elements that inspire him, infusing nature into moving, multi-instrumental works of art.
Following Shearwater‘s final release with Sub Pop, Jet Plane and Oxbow (2016), which many believe to be the band’s best effort (perhaps because it’s an outlier as a result of its 1980s influences and propulsive energy), the frontman appeared busier than ever. Meiburg arranged a set of live performances for the 40th anniversary of David Bowie‘s Berlin Trilogy, released his debut book (A Most Remarkable Creature: The Hidden Life of the World’s Smartest Birds of Prey), and recorded instrumental tracks during lockdown that would lead to yet another Shearwater LP, The Great Awakening (2022).
Fans have learned to rest easy during periods of silence, knowing Meiburg’s work continues apace. As the project evolved, the band’s output has more recently taken the shape of an interdisciplinary study. Case in point, after finalizing The New World, Meiburg departed on a journey to Antarctica yet still found time aboard the ship to film the video for “Daydream Unbeliever”. In a recent interview, he spoke about how those worlds have merged. While he used to worry about keeping his passions separate, he acknowledged that “now it all feels like one big project”.
One will immediately identify bits of inspiration from the surrounding world, whether it be taken from reflections walking along a path or admiring the surrounding landscape, not to mention the creatures inhabiting those spaces. Everything is there for inspection, as he sings on “Daydream Unbeliever”: “Nothing is ordinary / Elephant ear, coyote eye / Sing in an older language / Hold the lens up to the light.” Not only do thematic aspects take shape through this scientific and musical journey, but the finished product also incorporates field recordings from Meiburg’s travels over the past four years.
As one might suspect, such an approach comes with a certain level of risk, especially considering the crowdfunding effort that helped finance this release. If everything sounds a little too esoteric from afar, the album’s overall vibe has quite the opposite effect. Similar to Jet Plane and Oxbow, The New World‘s grooves prove irresistible, and the returns are immediate. The lilting rhythm of “More and More”, the steady build of “The Only Sound I’m Afraid Of”, and the quiet urgency of “Slugs in the Marigolds” all sound instantly familiar, especially when considering Meiburg’s singular vocals.
While the music is performed by Shearwater’s core trio of Meiburg, Dan Duszynski and Emily Lee, the record features noteworthy guests, including Doug Wieselman on woodwinds and lesser-known multi-instrumentalists from around the world. The tongue drum, congas, bass ngoni, calabash, tamma, yabara, and quanun, many of which are featured on “A Mink in the Dusk”, do not offer so much a global feel as uncover worlds from another place and time. More enchanted than primal (think Brocéliande Forest not Congo River), the rhythms beckon us to places we feel like we’ve known forever, even if only in fable.
As with every other Shearwater release, Meiburg’s ethos as an artist and a thinker takes center stage. That is what makes spoken-word closer “You and Your Dog” so surprising and affective (something that really must be experienced firsthand). The track has the power to transport listeners through the power of memory, reflection, and revelation, reminding listeners that—putting all the science stuff aside—music is a very human endeavor, one that proves endlessly moving no matter how rich and thought-provoking.