Early fans of Death Cab for Cutie/ Ben Gibbard's vocal stylings rejoice - Hospital Ships is here to reignite that passion for pop you once felt. Led by former Shearwater member Jordan Geiger and accompanied by a gaggle of talented musicians (including Shearwater's Jonathan Meiburg and Thor Harris), sophomore album Lonely Twin offers a much denser and instrumentally interesting experience than the essentially solo Geiger first release Oh, Ramona. The song "Galaxies" is where the comparison to DCFC really shines through, but there are many intricacies that allow these songs to stand on their own. Distortion and pitch bending lend a lo-fi quality to a well-recorded mix, tying back in to the sound that started Hospital Ships while allowing it to grow up and evolve. Released on Graveface Records June 7, the group recently performed some of the new songs on the ACL Satellite Sessions, available streaming here, to hear for yourself. more ›

What’s the Deal: Hospital Ships is a musical project led by Jordan Geiger, songwriter for Minus Story and trumpet player for Shearwater, enhanced by a large group of frequent and occasional musical collaborators and live players including members of Shearwater like Kevin Schneider, Thor Harris, and even Jonathan Meiburg. Geiger’s cozy bedroom pop is based in Lawrence, Kansas. more ›

Shearwater often get described as “otherworldly,” which is a plausible label given their sprawling, anachronistic bent coupled with the difficulty of describing their sound. But the “otherworldly” label is also a pity, because it totally bypasses the tactile, immediate nature that has defined Shearwater from its beginnings. On the other hand, for describing the confidence Shearwater demonstrates in its audience (which is another way of referring to the band ‘taking risks,’ a thing that’s always popular with music critics), “otherworldly” may not be a bad moniker. Few bands in this day and age go to the trouble of creating through their albums a comprehensive musical world for listeners- this is probably because listeners can no longer be relied upon for the entire length of an album. But Shearwater followers have shown that they can be counted on to visit and re-visit the landscapes Jonathan Meiburg maps out via the Shearwater discography, and then some. more ›

Shearwater sure has built themselves a little sea swell of fanhood and critical approval these past few months, and it's no surprise. Since frontman Jonathan Meiburg—the man with the super-big voice—made the executive decision that his days in established local faves Okkervil River had to end, the added focus on Shearwater has allowed the band to release a widely-praised LP, Rooks, not to mention tour the country like bandits. By making music that is not even remotely afraid of the dramatic, Meiburg, along with Kimberly Burke and the Austin ever-present personality Thor Harris, has drawn fawning comparisons to eighties pillars of profundity Talk Talk, and have made sure that they are a band to be reckoned with, not only on album but with their big-sound live shows. more ›