The Austin-based psychedelic-indie group Shearwater is back, and in a very big way. The band’s 10th label-backed LP is arguably their most powerful. It closely emulates their live performances, all while threading in complex backgrounds and haunting--yet remarkably relevant--lyrics.
“My idea for 'Jet Plane and Oxbow' was to try and make a protest record that wasn’t dumb or preachy,” front man Jonathan Meiburg said in an interview with SubPop records.
It is a protest record indeed, as Meiburg seeks to separate not from the United States, but from the idea of being an American. Or at least that’s what the album seeks to do.
“That’s the thing," he said. "I can’t stop being an American, even when it makes my skin crawl. I also can’t help loving it here, even though I hate it sometimes, too.”
The lyrics aren’t simply a rally against American culture. Rather, they explain the conflict of being an American in today’s incredibly complex political climate. Drawing finely from today’s indie rock and synthy 80’s vibes, the album suggests a return to the past, but in a way that nods to the future.
It’s an album that can’t be pinned to one decade, and that is the genius of it. A risk the band took? Maybe. But it’s executed flawlessly, intertwining the band members' gritty homage from previous albums to complex hooks which lead the viewer down a darkly realistic path, propelled through by Meiburg’s unique vocals. The task Shearwater sets out to achieve in this album is a massively difficult one.
Although no band has fully accomplished the feat that Shearwater attempts in this album--and likely never will--"Jet Plane and Oxbow" dissects American culture and politics while also creating a sound that we perhaps won’t see again for decades. It certainly created a new standard this January. Shearwater never fails to impress.