Stumbling from island to island

Shearwater
"The Golden Archipelago"
3 stars

Shearwater, a side project comprised by Okkervil River's Jonathan Meiburg and Will Sheff, does not fear grandiosity. "The Golden Archipelago" continues this tradition; the special edition comes packaged with a 75-page dossier that expands on the album's island theme with official-looking government documents and full-color photographs of Bikini Atoll. If all that sounds a bit inaccessible, you might not want to purchase this record. 

Still, the island theme doesn't force itself on you too much throughout the album. Some tracks, including album opener "Meridian," feature samples and recordings of choirs and people talking in what may be some Pacific Rim or Polynesian language, but that's about it. The overall sound of each song blends complex harmonies with instrumentation that is as often sparse as it is thick. The song "Black Eyes," for example, begins with an echoing staccato of struck piano keys before the vocals come in with a heavy dose of percussion and shimmering guitar chords.

"The Golden Archipelago" is sometimes a strikingly beautiful record, with superb string arrangements showing themselves on tracks like "God Made Me" and "Hidden Lakes." Unfortunately, this beauty is occasionally punctured by harder rocking tracks such as "Corridors," which incorporates distorted electric sounds and a straining, shouting version of Meiburg's voice. This tone would be better suited on a 70s punk record than the kind of water-sparkling-in-the-morning-light sound that Shearwater appears to be working toward.

"The Golden Archipelago" sounds similar to the band's previous effort, "Rook," and most of their earlier work. The exception this time around is a distasteful edge that is occasionally slathered on top, disrupting the soft flow of the strings. These rockier moments prevent the album from transcending beyond its archetype — nature-inspired indie folk written by a band with yet another animal name.