Rook (album)

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Rook (album)

Rook is the fifth studio album by American indie rock band Shearwater. It was released on June 3, 2008, through Matador Records. The first single from the album was "Rooks." The album was previewed at two concerts in Manhattan and Austin on May 5 and May 29, 2008, and the band toured later that year. It earned strong attention, including a spot on Entertainment Weekly’s Must List on May 28, 2008.

The vinyl edition includes a bonus track called "North Col." The cover art was created by Kahn & Selesnick.

Concept and background: The title "Rook" was chosen by co-founder Jonathan Meiburg for its sound and multiple meanings. Birds and avian imagery recur throughout Shearwater’s work, and Meiburg is an ornithologist.

Music and instruments: Rook blends indie rock with unusual textures, featuring harp, glockenspiel, woodwinds, and hammer dulcimer alongside standard guitar and piano.

Lyrics: The songs largely explore themes of nature and fairy tales.

Reception: Critics responded very positively. Metacritic assigns an average score of 85/100 based on about 20 reviews, indicating universal acclaim. Reviews highlighted the album’s beauty and scope; Pitchfork gave it 8/10, AllMusic 4.5/5, The Austin Chronicle 4/5, Blender 4/5, Spin 3.5/5, Uncut 4/5, PopMatters 9/10, and Slant Magazine 4/5, among others.

Track listing (all songs written by Jonathan Meiburg):
1) On the Death of the Waters – 3:08
2) Rooks – 3:21
3) Leviathan, Bound – 2:52
4) Home Life – 7:15
5) Lost Boys – 2:24
6) Century Eyes – 2:18
7) I Was a Cloud – 5:12
8) South Col – 2:35
9) The Snow Leopard – 5:08
10) The Hunter's Star – 4:00
Total length: 38:18

Singles and EPs:
- Rooks (May 27, 2008): 7" vinyl with "Rooks" (3:21) and live track "The Rainbow" (9:47).
- The Snow Leopard EP (October 14, 2008): digital release with tracks “The Snow Leopard” (5:02), “So Bad” (Baby Dee cover) (4:55), “North Col” (2:17), “Henry Lee” (Nick Cave cover; live from KUT) (5:00), “Rooks” (live from Radio K) (3:14), “I Was a Cloud” (live from Radio K) (4:48), and “South Col” / “The Snow Leopard” (live at Florence Gould Hall, NYC) (5:56).

The album was recorded in November 2007 at Echo Lab in Argyle, Texas and produced by Jonathan Meiburg. It is performed in English and released on Matador Records.