There is a restless grandeur to Shearwater’s ‘The New World’. It’s a record that’s perpetually in motion as the band attempt to navigate a world on fire. But while frontman Jonathan Meiburg compares it to driving at top speed at night into a fog bank, it also finds solace in moments of communion with people and nature.
That human connection is nowhere more apparent than the moments where the trio are joined by a host of guest musicians. The immersive music shifts from minimalist, jazz-inflected woodwinds and percussion and Talk Talk-style art-pop to rippling rhythms performed by percussionists Mahamadou Tounkara and Moctar Kouyate, and ngoni lines from Mamadou Kouyate, with flashes of colour from Farouz Zriek’s qanun.
Even Song’s jazzy piano opening gives way to an urgent, pulsating acoustic guitar, while synths and electronics build an air of unsettled disquiet as Meiburg searches for meaning.
It segues into the meditative More and More, by way of field recordings of bells and blackbirds, creating the feel of a new day after a storm. A song about “wriggling out of status”, its scope is broadened by the qanun, a cello squeezed through a Leslie cabinet and a 12-string guitar.
The waltz-like Daydream Unbeliever, meanwhile, finds Meiburg pondering belief, finally erupting in a swirling cacophony of psychedelic strings, pounding drums and a gong smashed by Xiu Xiu’s Jamie Stewart.
The Only Sound I'm Afraid Of ends with a full-on prog rock crescendo with electric guitars and synths, while Anamnesia with its piano-and-drums foundation and alto-saxophone, offers a pensive reflection on the nature of memory. For all the doubt and anguish, Meiburg imbues ‘The New World’ with empathy, his rich baritone rising effortlessly into falsetto without sacrificing any of the emotional weight.
Then, as it seems as if the album is at an end, after hypnotic, cascading piano and a wandering clarinet, a voice appears. The voice belongs to art-pop pioneer Laurie Anderson, reflecting candidly on a life-changing walk on a beach many years ago. “Hey buddy / It’s sure been a long time,” she begins, drawing you into her confidence as she tells her story. It’s a restrained but deeply moving end to an absorbing album.
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
We don't run any advertising! Our editorial content is solely funded by lovely people like yourself using Stereoboard's listings when buying tickets for live events. To keep supporting us, next time you're looking for concert, festival, sport or theatre tickets, please search for "Stereoboard". It costs you nothing, you may find a better price than the usual outlets, and save yourself from waiting in an endless queue on Friday mornings as we list ALL available sellers!
