A Shear Bet

By Lizz Kannenberg in Arts & Entertainment on Jun 24, 2008 5:14PM

Former Okkervil River bandmates Jonathan Meiburg and Will Sheff formed Shearwater in 1999 to give public life to the piano-based ballads that didn't have a home among their main band's emotionally-charged pop. Perhaps not surprisingly, the near-brilliant songwriting duo found no drop off in critical acclaim just because they dialed down the volume. The stunning "Rooks," from the full length Rook (Matador) combines one of the neatest guitar lines of 2008's first half with a haunting, death-defying trumpet and emotionally-charged organ. Rook is an album full of menacing grandiosity and a deeper, more accomplished and ultimately more satisfying experience than its still-excellent predecessor, 2006's Palo Santo.

What makes Sheff and Meiburg so captivating? Both are tightly-wound, slightly (ok, pretty obviously) bookish types with more than a passing penchant for finding melody in the most exasperating and melancholy of emotional places. While the perfectly-crafted indie pop that the two honed with Okkervil River (until Meiburg's departure in May) has the obvious hooks, it's apparent that they've saved their prettiest and most interesting songwriting for Shearwater.

Shearwater plays tonight with Frog Eyes and Evangelicals at The Mansion, 2408 N Kedzie , 8:00 p.m., All Ages, $14