Loma’s Self-Titled Debut Album Will Be Out February 16th via Sub Pop.
“’Black Willow’ is a painting with darker contours than anything on [Cross Record’s] Wabi-Sabi or Shearwater’s most recent album Jet Plane And Oxbow, while retaining the depth and confidence of each.” — NPR Music
“the group graces us with some beautifully mystical vibes in the form of the devastating, ASMR-inducing first single” — Gorilla vs. Bear
“’Black Willow’ is a sinewy and chilly track that feels expansive as Emily Cross and Meiburg’s vocals intertwine.” — Stereogum
[Photo Credit: Bryan C. Parker]
Loma, the new project comprised of Jonathan Meiburg, best known as the singer of Shearwater, and Emily Cross and Dan Duszynski of Cross Record, will release their self-titled debut album on February 16th via Sub Pop. A product of a joint pilgrimage around the globe by fellow touring musicians, it’s a beautifully detailed and emotionally rich album that reveals a band obsessed with songs as sound.
After presenting the lead single, “Black Willow,” the trio now shares “Relay Runner.” As Meiburg describes it, “’Relay Runner’ was the happiest accident on the record. We discovered it when we wired up a tremolo pedal the wrong way, and got this funny, stuttering loop - and then we built a whole song around that sound. The last thing we did in the mix was erase the loop, which had gone from inspiring the song to ruining it! But it made sense that what was left underneath was a song about how to escape from a sealed room.”
In creating Loma, the trio convened in a house in the Texas hill country over a few months during a strangely charged time. When they began recording, Cross and Duszynski were a married couple, but their relationship ended during the sessions—an atmosphere Meiburg found both challenging and inspiring—and the isolated house became the album’s muse. Dogs wandered by the microphones; the sounds of birds and wind in junipers and live oaks hovered at the borders of the songs. A close listen to new single “Relay Runner” even reveals cicadas and frogs from a nearby stream. Except for Cross’s translucent voice in the foreground, there were no assigned roles on the album; each member of the trio played every instrument as needed. This feeling of freedom let buried energies find expression. Cross wrung catharsis from Meiburg’s lyrics and melodies, while Duszynski immersed himself in the engineering and mixing.
Wed. Apr. 11 - San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
Fri. Apr. 13 - Portland, OR @ MS Studios
Sat. Apr. 14 - Seattle, WA @ Sunset Tavern
Tue. Apr. 17 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
Thu. April 19 - Taos, NM @ Taos Mesa Brewing
Sat. Apr. 21 - Austin, TX @ North Door
Loma is now available for preorder from Sub Pop and select independent retailers at smarturl.it/loma. North American preorders of the limited Loser edition will be available on clear vinyl with red and black swirlies (while supplies last). A new T-shirt design will also be available.
The time is now to follow Loma everywhere in the known universe, on subpop.com and also Instagram | Twitter | Facebook.
Loma, the new project comprised of Jonathan Meiburg, best known as the singer of Shearwater, and Emily Cross and Dan Duszynski of Cross Record, will release their self-titled debut album on February 16th via Sub Pop. A product of a joint pilgrimage around the globe by fellow touring musicians, it’s a beautifully detailed and emotionally rich album that reveals a band obsessed with songs as sound. Today, the trio presents the video for the album’s final song and lead single, “Black Willow.”
[Photo Credit: Bryan C. Parker]
Meiburg, Duszynski and Cross became friends when Cross Record, on their first-ever tour, supported Shearwater throughout America and Europe in 2016. “I couldn’t believe all that sound was coming out of two people,” he says. “They were mesmerizing.” In the van or at soundchecks, they shared their musical knowledge and love of nature and animals, and after an especially memorable show in Belgium, Meiburg approached Cross and Duszynski about working together. “I fell in love with their music,” he admits, “and I wanted to know how they did it.”
The trio convened in a house in the Texas hill country to see what would happen, and quickly realized an album was imminent. “There was something powerful about the combination of the three of us,” Meiburg says, “and very different from either of our bands. But I think we were afraid to say so out loud, for fear of jinxing it.” For the next few months, Loma met for two weeks at a time, shaping and revising new songs and casting others away.
It was also a strangely charged time. When the album began, Cross and Duszynski were a married couple, but their relationship ended during the sessions—an atmosphere Meiburg found both challenging and inspiring—and the isolated house became the album’s muse. Dogs wander by the microphones; the sounds of birds and wind in junipers and live oaks hover at the borders of the songs, and a close listen reveals cicadas and frogs from a nearby stream. Except for Cross’s translucent voice in the foreground, there were no assigned roles on the album; each member of the trio played every instrument as needed.
This feeling of freedom let buried energies find expression. Cross wrung catharsis from Meiburg’s lyrics and melodies, while Duszynski immersed himself in the sonic details of engineering and mixing. In the end, the record became a document of an urgent and ephemeral place and time, and the strength that comes with letting go of something precious. It closes, fittingly, with the subtly defiant marching anthem of “Black Willow,” in which Cross’s voice, backed by a hypnotic bass and drums, offers a lesson in survival. “When I walk,” she sings, “I carry a diamond blade.” She means it.
The time is now to follow Loma everywhere in the known universe, on subpop.com and also Instagram | Twitter | Facebook.
Loma is now available for preorder from Sub Pop and select independent retailers right here. North American preorders of the limited Loser edition will be available on clear vinyl with red and black swirlies (while supplies last), and a lovely new t-shirt design will also be available.
Loma Tracklisting:
1. Who Is Speaking? 2. Dark Oscillations 3. Joy 4. I Don’t Want Children 5. Relay Runner 6. White Glass 7. Sundogs 8. Jornada 9. Shadow Relief 10. Black Willow
Twitter
exchange sparks new in-flight partnership with Sub Pop Records
BY KEEGAN PROSSER for Alaska Airlines
Looking for something fresh and exciting to do during your
next flight? Then Alaska has some good news for you. Beginning this month, the
airline is partnering with Seattle’s Sub Pop Records to bring some of the
label’s best music onboard – for free.
Launched with Beach House’s latest
album Thank Your Lucky Stars on
February 1, the new program offers fliers the chance to listen to one
complimentary featured Sub Pop title per month on Alaska Beyond Entertainment,
Alaska’s direct-to-your-device inflight entertainment service, and two albums
per quarter on the rentable tablets.
“We didn’t have inflight entertainment on most of our
flights until about a year and a half ago,” says David Scotland, manager of inflight
entertainment and connectivity for the airline, adding that one of Alaska’s
priorities is to ensure that customers aren’t receiving “plain vanilla anything”
aboard its flights. “We have our own unique way of designing every experience of
travel – from locally sourced food to space-enhancing seats and now music,” he
continues, noting that the record label takes a similar approach in curating
its artists. “And Sub Pop is a way for us to do that in the music and
entertainment space.”
The partnership itself came about when a former Sub Pop
employee was on an Alaska flight and tweeted to ask why the two companies
weren’t working together. Soon after, the Twitter conversation turned into a
real plan of action.
“There’s definitely a big appeal for doing something
specifically with Alaska,” notes Chris Jacobs, General Manager of Sub Pop
Records. “Because Sub Pop is so overtly and proudly associated with the region,
and so is Alaska, it makes sense.” According to Jacobs, albums selected for the streaming and
tablet platforms are based on timeliness and appeal to a variety of listeners,
with March’s featured album set to be Shearwater’s latest
release Jet Plane and Oxbow. “The music we put out can range pretty widely, from
relatively accessible to relatively not,” Jacobs says of the label. “So we are
trying to focus on bands at the more accessible end.”
In that spirit, Shearwater frontman Jonathan Meiberg sees
the inflight entertainment platform as a great way to gain new fans. “My hope is that the record feels accessible and friendly on
first listen but has enough depth and detail that you’ll want to play it
again,” he explains of the project, which pairs dreamy indie rock with punchy
‘80s synths. “We spent many weeks laboring over the texture and colors of the
sounds.” He also sees it as a great alternative for his music to be
consumed. “I’m just glad for the chance to reach people who might
never hear our music otherwise.”
And fellow Sub Pop artist Cullen Omori, whose solo
debut New Misery will be featured on
Alaska flights in April, shares the sentiment. “There’s no better audience,” says the former Smith Westerns
vocalist, whose collection of genre-bending pop rock cuts hits stores March 18.
“You have a captive audience that’s stuck on a plane for X amount of hours. And
so, there’s no better time to pitch them some music to listen to.”
As Scotland points out, teaming up with local brands such as
Sub Pop, the Seattle International Film Festival, fashion designer Luly Yang and Tom Douglas restaurants enables Alaska to deepen the
relationship it’s built with core customers and provide them with a piece of
home. “One of the things that our customers from the Seattle area
tell us very often is that they feel like they’re already home when they get on
the plane, and there’s a comfort there.” But it also leaves a lasting impression with customers who
may be flying in the region for the first time. “There is something cool and unique about the PNW,” he
continues. “We do march to the beat of our own drum. We’re not like the rest of
the country. And being an airline, we get to introduce a lot of people to some
of the best parts of the Pacific Northwest.”
- - - - -
Guest Writer Keegan Prosser is a full-time pop culture junkie and part-time freelance music journalist who is based in Seattle and has contributed to Seattle Weekly and RollingStone.com. When she’s not writing about Justin Bieber for radio prep service ReelWorld.com, Keegan flies Alaska to cities with good food, great people and exceptional live music.
Shearwater have shared the official video for “Quiet Americans”, the lead single from Jet Plane and Oxbow, (out tomorrow)! The intense visual stars frontman Jonathan Meiburg and was directed by Alex Rapine.
Stereogum had this to say about the video, “Channeling albums like David Bowie’s Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) and the Talking Heads’ Remain In Light, the band’s lead singer and songwriter Jonathan Meiburg has used this new record to add some polished experimentation and drama to the band’s ever-evolving sound. Director Alex Rapine’s video matches that aesthetic shift with a sleek, dark color palette, flickering lights, and a besuited Meiburg showing off his best evil grin (see premiere January 21st).”
Shearwater’s Jet Plane and Oxbow is earning the group some of its best reviews to date, from outlets on both sides of the Atlantic. Highlights include:
NPR Music: “Fussed-over sounds abound — one track finds room for both synthesizer and dulcimer — which helps render Meiburg’s songs both unsettling and majestic. The terrific “Quiet Americans” checks many of the band’s boxes right away, as the synths peal through static, while Meiburg’s vocals bark, swoop, soar and swoon in tune with the moment. From there, the palette expands and contracts to include booming, stadium-sized urgency (“A Long Time Away”); a persistently rumbling, exploratory epic worthy of Wilco (“Filaments”); and a ballad that sneaks in some of Meiburg’s favorite themes (“Wildlife In America”). Of course, that big, elastic voice remains at the center of these songs, but so too does a mandate to fill the surrounding air with big, bold ideas.”
MOJO: “A defiant moody exploration of the magic and menace of technology.” [4/5]
Uncut: “Meiburg’s finest album to date.” [8/10]
Rolling Stone: “It’s refreshing to hear them switch things up on this, their seventh full-length release, by writing more immediate pop songs without sacrificing their rich, thoughtfully placed instrumentation.”
Consequence of Sound: “Jet Plane and Oxbow can’t be locked into a single place or time, instead patching together its own alternate past. They leave room for their glossy influences and the gritty present to communicate with each other, threading catchy hooks through more complex backgrounds. The prime example is “Quiet Americans”, a dark track that transforms relatively quickly into a comfortable earworm.”
EXCLAIM: “The sense of velocity and flight, paired with Meiburg’s dramatic vocals, delivered with Bowie-like flair here, making Jet Plane and Oxbow a natural progression for Shearwater, and a nice departure from their typical offerings.”
PopMatters: “Jet Plane and Oxbow is a remarkably polished, alluring, and dignified accomplishment.” [8/10]
The Skinny: “The band’s punchiest and most populist work to date.” [4/5]
Shearwater’s 2016 North American and European tour schedule in support of Jet Plane and Oxbow begins February 3rd in Austin, TX at North Door and currently ends March 26th in Portland, OR at Mississippi Studios. Main support will come from Barsuk recording artist Laura Gibson (March 16th - 19th). (see dates below)
Jet Plane and Oxbow will be available tomorrow through Sub Pop Mega Mart, iTunes, and Amazon. LP preorders though megamart.subpop.com will receive the limited “Loser” edition on blue colored vinyl (while supplies last) and there are two super sweet t-shirts for this release as well!
More about Shearwater: This is definitely Shearwater’s biggest and loudest record—it’s easy to imagine these songs roaring from the stage—but it’s also their most detailed and intricate one. Front man Jonathan Meiburg and producer/engineer Reisch (who also recorded 2012’s Animal Joy and the off-the-cuff collaborations of 2014’s Fellow Travelers) spent two years crafting Jet Plane and Oxbow with help from drummer Cully Symington, longtime Shearwater associates Howard Draper and Lucas Oswald, and tourmates Jesca Hoop, Abram Shook, and Jenn Wasner.
But their secret weapon this time is film composer and percussionist Brian Reitzell, whose soundtracks include The Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation, The Bling Ring, and 30 Days of Night. Reitzell’s arsenal of strange instruments emphasizes Jet Plane and Oxbow’s cinematic depth and scope, and reflects the band’s choice to anchor the record in the era when digital technology was just beginning to transform the world of recorded music. In Shearwater’s hands this doesn’t feel like nostalgia; the racing synths and hammered dulcimers of heart-pounding opener “Prime” or the addled motorik of “Radio Silence” sound more like a metaphor for our own bewildering moment (read more at Sub Pop).
Tour Dates Feb. 03 - Austin, TX - North Door (w/ Marmalakes) Feb. 04 - Dallas, TX - Club Dada (w/ Marmalakes) Feb. 06 - New York, NY - Mercury Lounge (w/ Jib Kidder) Feb. 10 - Berlin, DE - Frannz Club Feb. 11 - Copenhagen, DK - Loppen Feb. 12 - Hamburg, DE - Molotow Feb. 13 - Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso Noord Feb. 14 - Brussels. BE - Botanique Feb. 16 - Lille, FR - L’Aeronef Feb. 17 - London, UK - Islington Assembly Hall Feb. 18 - Bristol, UK - The Fleece Feb. 19 - Leeds, UK - The Brudenell Social Club Feb. 20 - Glasgow, UK - King Tuts Feb. 21 - Newcastle, UK - The Cluny Feb. 23 - Dublin, IE - Button Factory Feb. 24 - Manchester , UK - Night & Day Feb. 25 - Brighton, UK - The Haunt Feb. 26 - Paris, FR - Point Ephémère Feb. 27 - Zurich, CH - Bogen F Feb. 28 - Fribourg, CH - Nouveau Monde Mar. 04 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent Mar. 05 - Los Angeles, CA - Roxy Mar. 10 - Washington, DC - Rock and Roll Hotel Mar. 12 - Brooklyn, NY - Bell House Mar. 16 - Pittsburgh, PA - Club Cafe** Mar. 17 - Toronto, ON - Horseshoe Tavern** Mar. 18 - Ferndale, MI - The Loving Touch** Mar. 19 - Chicago, IL - Schubas** Mar. 22 - Minneapolis, MN - Turf Club Mar. 25 - Seattle, WA - The Crocodile Mar. 26 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios ** w/ Laura Gibson
DIY had this to say about the song, “Latest track Only Child is a vast escape. Every last note is thrown into the skies, every giant declaration worthy adventure. More than anything, this is loud. Tone it down if you want, but the song and the record sound best when they’re pushed to the limit.” (see track premiere January 11th).” Note: German fans can listen via VISIONS Magazin.
Shearwater’s 2016 North American and European tour in support of Jet Plane and Oxbow begins February 3rd in Austin, TX at North Door and currently ends March 26th in Portland, OR at Mississippi Studios. Main support will come from Barsuk recording artist Laura Gibson (March 16th - 19th). See the full tour listing below.
Jet Plane and Oxbow is now available for pre-order through Sub Pop Mega Mart, iTunes, and Amazon. LP preorders though megamart.subpop.com will receive the limited “Loser” edition on blue colored vinyl while supplies last.
Oh and hey, pre ordering Jet Plane and Oxbow earns you immediate access (as of Jan. 8th) to stream the album before its street date, and provides access to an exclusive Shearwater podcast, “Headwaters,” which features demos and outtakes from the new record and a conversation between Meiburg and WNYC’s John Schaefer (host of New Sounds and the Soundcheck podcast). An edited version compiled and broadcast by Schaefer is available for streaming on the WNYC site.
[Photo Credit: Sarah Cass]
More about Shearwater:
This is definitely Shearwater’s biggest and loudest record—it’s easy to imagine these songs roaring from the stage—but it’s also their most detailed and intricate one. Front man Jonathan Meiburg and producer/engineer Reisch (who also recorded 2012’s Animal Joy and the off-the-cuff collaborations of 2014’s Fellow Travelers) spent two years crafting Jet Plane and Oxbow with help from drummer Cully Symington, longtime Shearwater associates Howard Draper and Lucas Oswald, and tourmates Jesca Hoop, Abram Shook, and Jenn Wasner.
But their secret weapon this time is film composer and percussionist Brian Reitzell, whose soundtracks include The Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation, The Bling Ring, and 30 Days of Night. Reitzell’s arsenal of strange instruments emphasizes Jet Plane and Oxbow’s cinematic depth and scope, and reflects the band’s choice to anchor the record in the era when digital technology was just beginning to transform the world of recorded music. In Shearwater’s hands this doesn’t feel like nostalgia; the racing synths and hammered dulcimers of heart-pounding opener “Prime” or the addled motorik of “Radio Silence” sound more like a metaphor for our own bewildering moment (read more at Sub Pop).
Tour Dates
Feb. 03 - Austin, TX - North Door (w/ Marmalakes) Feb. 04 - Dallas, TX - Club Dada (w/ Marmalakes) Feb. 06 - New York, NY - Mercury Lounge (w/ Jib Kidder) Feb. 10 - Berlin, DE - Frannz Club Feb. 11 - Copenhagen, DK - Loppen Feb. 12 - Hamburg, DE - Molotow Feb. 13 - Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso Noord Feb. 14 - Brussels. BE - Botanique Feb. 16 - Lille, FR - L’Aeronef Feb. 17 - London, UK - Islington Assembly Hall Feb. 18 - Bristol, UK -The Fleece Feb. 19 - Leeds, UK - The Brudenell Social Club Feb. 20 - Glasgow, UK - King Tuts Feb. 21 - Newcastle, UK - The Cluny Feb. 23 - Dublin, IE - Button Factory Feb. 24 -Manchester , UK - Night & Day Feb. 25 - Brighton, UK - The Haunt Feb. 26 - Paris, FR - Point Ephémère Feb. 27 - Zurich, CH - Bogen F Feb. 28 - Fribourg, CH - Nouveau Monde Mar. 04 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent Mar. 05 - Los Angeles, CA - Roxy Mar. 10 - Washington, DC - Rock and Roll Hotel Mar. 12 - Brooklyn, NY - Bell House Mar. 16 - Pittsburgh, PA - Club Cafe** Mar. 17 - Toronto, ON - Horseshoe Tavern** Mar. 18 - Ferndale, MI - The Loving Touch** Mar. 19 - Chicago, IL - Schubas** Mar. 22 - Minneapolis, MN - Turf Club Mar. 25 - Seattle, WA - The Crocodile Mar. 26 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios ** w/ Laura Gibson
On January 22nd, Shearwater will release Jet Plane and Oxbow, their new full-length studio album. Featuring highlights “Quiet Americans” and “Only Child”, the album was produced by Danny Reisch at studios in Austin and Los Angeles, and mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound (see Pitchfork news story October 20th).
This is definitely Shearwater’s biggest and loudest record—it’s easy to imagine these songs roaring from the stage—but it’s also their most detailed and intricate one. Front man Jonathan Meiburg and producer/engineer Reisch (who also recorded 2012’s Animal Joyand the off-the-cuff collaborations of 2014’s Fellow Travelers) spent two years crafting Jet Plane and Oxbow with help from drummer Cully Symington, longtime Shearwater associates Howard Draper and Lucas Oswald, and tourmates Jesca Hoop, Abram Shook, and Jenn Wasner.
But their secret weapon this time is film composer and percussionist Brian Reitzell, whose soundtracks include The Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation, The Bling Ring, and 30 Days of Night. Reitzell’s arsenal of strange instruments emphasizes Jet Plane and Oxbow’s cinematic depth and scope, and reflects the band’s choice to anchor the record in the era when digital technology was just beginning to transform the world of recorded music. In Shearwater’s hands this doesn’t feel like nostalgia; the racing synths and hammered dulcimers of heart-pounding opener “Prime” or the addled motorik of “Radio Silence” sound more like a metaphor for our own bewildering moment. (For a full bio, along with a conversation between famed music journalist Michael Azerrad & Shearwater frontman Meiburg, read here).
Shearwater will begin their 2016 tour in February with three warm-up dates in Texas and New York before heading to Europe for the rest of the month. (Full schedule below). A further North American tour will also be announced soon.
Jet Plane and Oxbow is now available for preorder through Sub Pop Mega Mart, iTunes, and Amazon. LP preorders through megamart.subpop.com will receive the limited “Loser” edition on blue colored vinyl while supplies last.
Additionally, when you preorder Jet Plane and Oxbow you’ll get access to stream the album before its street date, and provide access to an exclusive Shearwater podcast, “Headwaters,” which features demos and outtakes from the new record and a conversation between Meiburg and WNYC’s John Schaefer (host of “New Sounds”).
“It’s like joining us on an expedition,” Meiburg says of the podcast, only half in jest. Along the way, he and Schaefer listen to field recordings of howler monkeys, musician wrens, and other strange creatures from remote parts of Guyana and Brazil, and they talk about everything from the ideas and influences that fed the new album to David Bowie’s idea of “social protest music”, the fearsome teeth of the vampire fish, and the last days of Lawrence of Arabia. Shearwater’s longtime fans won’t be surprised by Meiburg’s wide-ranging interests, but new listeners will enjoy meeting an unlikely front man who seems to be part rock star, part David Attenborough.
Tour Dates
U.S. Feb. 03 - Austin, TX - North Door Feb. 04 - Dallas, TX - Club Dada Feb. 06 - New York, NY - Mercury Lounge
Europe Feb. 10 - Berlin, DE - Frannz Club Feb. 11 - Copenhagen, DK - Loppen Feb. 12 - Hamburg, DE - Molotow Feb. 13 - Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso Noord Feb. 14 - Brussels. BE - Botanique Feb. 16 - Lille, FR - Aeronef Feb. 17 - London, UK - Islington Assembly Hall Feb. 18 - Bristol, UK - The Fleece Feb. 19 - Leeds, UK - The Brudenell Social Club Feb. 20 - Glasgow, UK - King Tuts Feb. 21 - Newcastle, UK - The Cluny Feb. 23 - Dublin, IE - Button Factory Feb. 24 - Manchester , UK - Night & Day Feb. 25 - Brighton, UK - The Haunt Feb. 26 - Paris FR, - Point Ephémère Feb. 27 - Zurich, CH - Bogen F Feb. 28 - Fribourg, CH - Nouveau Monde
