Animal Joy

It's been over a decade since aviary enthusiast/Austin-based musician Jonathan Meiburg formed Shearwater with Okkervil River's Will Sheff. After a pair of mostly hushed, delicate albums for Matador Records (2008's Rook and 2010's The Golden Archipelago), Meiburg continues to push the envelope on Animal Joy, his seventh album overall and first for indie powerhouse Sub Pop Records. Where past albums were more a showcase for Meiburg's operatic vocals and his band's tranquil, folk-meets-chamber pop arrangements, Shearwater's seventh full-length finds its groove behind a new found full-band approach. With help from a strong cast of guest musicians (including Wye Oak's Andy Stack and Murder By Death's Scott Brackett) and steady guidance from drummer Thor Harris, tracks like "Breaking the Yearlings" and "Star of the Age" showcase Shearwater's flair for the dramatic more than ever before. In fact, the two-and-a-half-minute burner "Immaculate" almost sounds like a different act entirely, with its galloping rhythm and full-band clatter. It's a transition numerous indie-folk bands have pulled off before, although Meiburg's often-spellbinding vocals keep Animal Joy sounding undeniably like a Shearwater record. And even with all the changes, tracks like "Run the Banner Down" still echo the Shearwater of old. It's an ambitious work for sure, although there's little doubt Meiburg and company have the skills to pull it off.