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On Our iPod

Golden Grrrls - New Pop 7”

Chris Devotion & The Expectations - Amalgamation & Capital (album)

Trailer Trash Tracys - Ester (album)

Throwing Up - Mother Knows Best 7”

Howling Wolf - Complete Chess Masters 1951-60

The Ketamines - A Rotten Bond/1 Yr (from Oddbox Singles Club Pt 2)

Cardinal - Hymns (album)

Proper Ornaments - Taking the Gamble Out of Buying 12”

Darren Hayman - January Songs (album)

Various: Marshall Teller EP 12”

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Album Review

Shearwater
The Golden Archipelago Matador Records

Article written by Ged M - Feb 11, 2010

Shearwater: The Golden Archipelago

Like previous albums, and the band’s name itself, The Golden Archipelago is inspired by the natural world. Based on islands, referencing wind, waves and ships, it even kicks off with a blast of the anthem of Bikini Atoll, sung by the islanders who were forced to relocate by the atomic bomb tests that made their homes uninhabitable. The album occasionally inspires a warm mood: the tropical-sounding ‘Landscape At Speed’, the melodic ‘Castaways’ and the steel drum rhythms of ‘Runners of the Sun’ are all highlights. There’s some subtly orchestrated rock, particular ‘Meridian’ that conjures up the softness of an island shore. But it also feels like it has too many of the faults of island living: too little contact with the outside world (although Pink Floyd and Kate Bush might be detected as influences) and a sense of isolation, inbreeding and remoteness. I have to confess also to finding Jonathan Meiberg’s voice to be hard-going sometimes. Like his soundalike Mark Hollis from Talk Talk, he can sound overwrought when his voice shoot into the higher register, as it does on the manically scuttling ‘Corridors’. A very selective trip to The Golden Archipelago would be rewarding but I’d advise against taking up residence.

Links:
http://shearwatermusic.com
http://www.matadorrecords.com
http://www.myspace.com/shearwater