Shearwater frontman Jonathan Meiburg insists that you don’t need a PhD to love his band’s new full-length, The Golden Archipelago. Sure, it was inspired by a yearlong trek around remote islands like the Falklands, Tierra del Fuego, the Galapagos and New Zealand’s Chatham Islands. And, yes, it comes with a 75-page dossier of photos and historical documents collected from his travels. But really, it’s just a great old-fashioned folk-rock album. “I enjoy building these gigantic conceptual worlds,” says the Austin, Texas-based singer. “But I worry that people think they’re going to get a dissertation instead of just a record.”
Well, “just a record” is selling it short: The Golden Archipelago is a hugely ambitious exploration of island life, from its daily rituals to its deepest historical wounds, all rendered with a complex but delicate interplay of brass and string instruments. A decade in the making, it’s a true labour of love.
Hidden Lakes – Mini Documentary
Tour Dates
- 02/21 – Brighton, UK @ The Freebutt
- 02/22 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
- 02/23 – Glasgow, UK @ Captain’s Rest
- 02/24 – Manchester, UK @ The Ruby Lounge
- 02/25 – London, UK @ Scala
- 02/26 – Diksmuide, B @ 4AD
- 02/27 – Hamburg, D @ Knust
- 02/28 – Berlin, D @ Magnet Club
- 03/02 – Munich, D @ 59 to 1
- 03/03 – Geneva, CH @ L’Usine (PTR)
- 03/04 – Fribourg, CH @ Nouveau Monde
- 03/05 – Milan, I @ La Casa 139
- 03/06 – Montpellier, F @ La Taf
- 03/07 – Barcelona, ES @ La (2) de Apolo
- 03/08 – Madrid, ES @ Moby Dick
- 03/19 – Austin, TX @ Antone’s (SXSW)
- 03/24 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
- 03/25 – Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
- 03/26 – Washington, DC @ Rock N’ Roll Hotel
- 03/27 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
- 03/28 – Philadephia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
- 03/30 – Boston, MA @ TT The Bears
- 03/31 – Montreal, QC @ La Sala Rosa
- 04/01 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
- 04/02 – Ithaca, NY @ Castaways
- 04/03 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Tavern
- 04/04 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
- 04/05 – Milwaukee, WI @ Mad Planet
- 04/06 – Minneapolis, MN @ 400 Bar
- 04/07 – Grinnell, IA @ Grinnell College
- 04/08 – Lawrence, KS @ Bottleneck
- 04/09 – Norman, OK @ Opolis
- 04/10 – Dallas, TX @ The Loft
- 04/22 – Phoenix, AZ @ Rhythm Room
- 04/23 – Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
- 04/24 – Los Angeles, CA @ Spaceland
- 04/25 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
- 04/27 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir
- 04/28 – Vancouver, BC @ The Biltmore
- 04/29 – Seattle, WA @ Triple Door
- 04/30 – Pullman, WA @ The Belltower
- 05/01 – Boise, ID @ Neurolux
- 05/02 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The State Room
- 05/04 – Denver, CO @ The Walnut Room
- 05/05 – Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad
- 05/07 – Austin, TX @ The Parish