The Golden Archipelago, Shearwater

BEST OF 2010

Dark. Moody. Dramatic.

I like to imagine a music myth. A mother of sound giving birth to two bands. Twin brothers. Xiu Xiu and Shearwater. Xiu Xiu is the depressive, angsty, and earlier sexualized of the brothers. Shearwater is shy, contemplative, and consumed by each emotion. I will review the new Xiu Xiu album at a later date. Today, the new Shearwater.

There are songs on this album that sound as if they are meant to haunt you. And, that feels a little forced. Then, there are songs that truly haunt you. I have spent the last three days wrapped in the sounds of Golden Archipelago. I am only familiar with their previous album, Rook. After listening to that album a couple years ago, I found no real reason to seek out their earlier music. But, after this album I was quick to download as much of their previous music as I could find.

Needless to say, I am devoured by this album.

A+