I wrote this for a friends website here in NZ, i'm sure he won't mind me sharing it here
Chris K tells us . . .
Shearwater - Jetplane & Oxbow
I’ve become quietly obsessive about Shearwater since buying Rook off the back of a magazine review. In that time their musical palette has shifted from the brooding melodrama of Talk Talk to the syncopated energy and anger of Scary Monsters era David Bowie, Talking Heads, and Peter Gabriel. Largely the outlet for the literate musings of front man Jonathan Meiburg, whose lyrical concerns have similarly evolved from the earthy to the socio-political; Jetplane & Oxbow sees the band go bigger and bolder as they as strive for greatness on an album that The Austin Chronicle hailed as possibly the “Best Protest Album of 2016”. On first listen I thought it was almost too obvious and missed some of the oblique-ness of their previous releases but since then it has revealed hidden depth and beauty to become my most listened to album of 2016.
https://open.spotify.com/album/6C3nCWp1EnjUENpFv6AKYi
There is also a great podcast about the album called “Headwaters” and edit of which can be found here http://www.wnyc.org/story/jona...burg-jetplane-oxbow/
As an aside the album was released a couple of weeks before David Bowe’s ‘Blackstar’ and I’d like to think (probably misguidedly) it may have been overlooked or got lost as a result. However the band were able to pay tribute to Bowie in May this year when they performed Lodger in its entirety for The Onion’s A.V. Club http://www.avclub.com/article/...bowies-lodger-236726
Other notable mentions
Dawes – We’re All Gonna Die
Drive-By Truckers – American Band
Low – Ones & Sixes
Richmond Fontaine – You Can’t Go Back If There’s Nothing To Go Back To
Sturgill Simpson – A Sailors Guide To Earth
