The first full-length release in six years for Austin indie rock band Shearwater, The Great Awakening, was co-produced with Dan Duszynski.
Here are some selected reviews of Shearwater’s newest album:
Sputnikmusic (90):
It’s a dark, gorgeous, twisted, spine-tingling experience that is able to pull off such a decelerated pace because it owns that pace entirely, injecting it with haunting rhythms and naturalistic beauty.
Uncut (80):
Love and hope stay preciously rare yet infinitely possible, and this album’s guttering, guiding light.
Beats Per Minute (78):
Balancing stately pop ornamentation with more bombastically orchestrated moments, the album allows Meiburg to both indulge and scale back his dramaturgical impulses.
Mojo (60)
These opaque, often uneasy sounding songs conjure nature’s unpredictability and vulnerability as well as its beauty.
PopMatters (60)
There are at least a handful of worthwhile inclusions here, and Shearwater’s overarching purpose is admirable. Regrettably, though, good intentions don’t necessarily equate to good execution. For the most part, The Great Awakening is a plodding creation whose occasionally fascinating nuances and continually astute insights are marred by persistent musical tedium and hollowness.