Album Reviews

After last year’s “Animal Joy”, Shearwater is already back with what was originally supposed to be a small EP in between albums that came with a bunch of cover songs. The project took on a life of itself however and turned into what is basically another full-fledged release for these Austin-based folk-rockers.

The name “Fellow Travelers” can be taken quite literally, because all of the songs on here are written by artists that Shearwater has toured with over the years. Not only is it a nice gesture to cover them, it also serves as sort of a photo album that allowed the band to revisit those tours. Oh shit, did I say photo album? I meant Instagram account.

And so we get to listen to Shearwater’s version of Xiu Xiu’s “I Luv The Valley Oh!”, which became a rock anthem whereas Coldplay’s “Hurts Like Heaven” has been stripped bare to a piano-centered song with some ambient sounds.

Want to hear Shearwater at their most boisterous? Check out their take on Clinic’s “Tomorrow” or the Folk Implosion classic that is “Natural One”. Wye Oak’s “Mary Is Mary” and David Thomas Broughton’s “Ambiguity” are the complete opposite and show Shearwater at their most fragile. There is also room for one original on the album… “A Wake For The Minotaur” is a beautiful intimate duet between vocalist Jonathan Meiburg and Sharon Van Etten.

With most of these songs not exactly being widely known, most people probably won’t even realize this is a cover album. That could either mean Shearwater has a real obscure taste or that they have the ability to make any song their own. I’d go with the latter.