Personnel: Andy Stack (electric guitar, saxophone); Elaine Barber (harp); Sam Lipman (clarinet); Peter Katis (celesta); Scott Brackett (keyboards); Cully Symington (drums); Danny Reisch (percussion).
Audio Mixer: Peter Katis.
Recording information: Fifth Street; Good Danny's; Texas Treefort.
With the "Island Arc" trilogy of Palo Santo, Rook, and The Golden Archipelago behind them, autumnal Austin-based indie rockers Shearwater switch gears -- and labels -- with Animal Joy. Joining the Sub Pop roster, the band tapped Danny Reisch (White Denim, Brass Bed) for production and engineering duties, Peter Katis (the National, Interpol) as mixer, and guest musicians such as Andy Stack (Wye Oak), Scott Brackett (Murder by Death), and Cully Symington (Cursive, 1986) to capture Shearwater's trademark lush sonics at their most direct and immediate.
Professional Reviews
Magnet (p.58) - "[W]hen it slips into theatrics -- as on mid-set brooder 'Open Up Your Houses' -- ANIMAL JOY presents an invigorated Shearwater, memorable and newly direct."
Uncut (magazine) (p.95) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "'Pushing The River' is a disgruntled two-step that ends in a searing guitar feedback wine that burrows deep inside your sinuses."
