Shearwater
Animal Joy
Every other time I've tried to listen to a Shearwater album, I think I've fallen asleep by the fourth song. "Animal Joy" is a welcome variation, as song number four, the propulsive "You as You Were," shows the folk-rock act has taken on a renewed initiative keep its listeners attention.
Maybe because it's the band's first album for the famed Sub Pop records, but there's some great energy throughout the grey skies of "Animal Joy," like on the breakneck bliss of "Immaculate," the tense climb of "Breaking the Yearlings," the determined march of "Pushing The River" and the build and release of opener "Animal Life."
This being Shearwater, there's definitely still plenty of quieter moments of pondering and contemplation. The easy, hand-clapping sway of "Dread Sovereign" feels perfect for a cloudy, cold afternoon. The soft-strings of "Insolence" gives way to a stomping beat, and screams from singer Jonathan Meiburg and restless electric guitar.
Some songs don't quiet hit their mark, like the grating chorus of "Open Your Houses (Basilisk)." Overall though, "Animal Joy" is a brooding and satisfying success, an album tied as much to elements of nature as human fragility.
"Animal Life"
"Immaculate"
Like, Follow or Talk Shit About us here:
