''Palo Santo'' is an album by
Shearwater
Shearwaters are medium-sized long-winged seabirds in the petrel family Procellariidae
The family Procellariidae is a group of seabirds that comprises the fulmarine petrels, the gadfly petrels, the diving petrels, the prions, and the shearwa ...
, released in 2006 on
Misra Records
Misra Records is an independent record label based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The label is distributed by Redeye Worldwide.
Founded in 1999, Misra Records is home to landmark releases by Destroyer, Phosphorescent, Shearwater, R. Ring (featuri ...
.
The album was re-released in an expanded, partly re-recorded, fully remastered and repackaged edition in 2007 on
Matador Records
Matador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of mainly indie rock, but also punk rock, experimental rock, alternative rock, and electronic acts.
History
Matador was created in 1989 by Chris Lombardi in his New York City apart ...
. The album was inspired by the life and death of the singer
Nico
Naftiran Intertrade Company Société à responsabilité limitée#In Switzerland, limited (NICO) is a Switzerland, Swiss-based subsidiary of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC). NICO is a general contractor for the oil and gas industry. NIOC bu ...
; Jonathan Meiburg mentions this on the album ''The Island Arc Live (Excerpts)'', in a recording from Shearwater's January 15, 2011, performance at Austin's Central Presbyterian Church.
Critical reception
''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' wrote that "this is one of the year's best indie-rock albums ... These 11 flickering — and hummable — songs tell a desperate but not quite decipherable story."
''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' called the album "both magnificent and bewildering," writing that "meandering piano and plucked banjo laments wind towards dramatic crescendos, songs fracture and split as if powered by dream logic."
Track listing
All tracks composed by Jonathan Meiburg (except "Special Rider Blues").
2006 release
# "La Dame et la Licorne" – 5:19
# "Red Sea, Black Sea" – 2:58
# "White Waves" – 4:21
# "Palo Santo" – 3:45
# "Seventy-four, Seventy-five" – 3:21
# "Nobody" – 3:02
# "Sing, Little Birdie" – 3:10
# "Johnny Viola" – 2:30
# "Failed Queen" – 5:51
# "Hail, Mary" – 5:11
# "Going Is Song" – 3:41
2007 re-release
The release includes new versions of the tracks "La Dame et la licorne," "Red Sea, Black Sea," "Seventy-four, Seventy-five," "Johnny Viola," and "Hail Mary," remastered versions of the other tracks retained from the original 2006 release, and a bonus CD containing demos and miscellaneous tracks.
Disk 1
# "La Dame et la Licorne" – 5:27
# "Red Sea, Black Sea" – 3:09
# "White Waves" – 4:20
# "Palo Santo" – 3:48
# "Seventy-four, Seventy-five" – 3:24
# "Nobody" – 3:01
# "Sing, Little Birdie" – 3:10
# "Johnny Viola" – 2:29
# "Failed Queen" – 5:50
# "Hail, Mary" – 6:16
# "Going Is Song" – 3:42
Disk 2
# "My Only Boy" - 4:39
# "Every Hook, Every Eye" - 2:20
# "Special Rider Blues" (Skip James Cover) - 5:21
# "Sing, Little Birdie" (Demo) - 3:05
# "Palo Santo" (Demo) - 3:45
# "Discontinuities" - 3:41
# "Red Sea, Black Sea" (Demo) - 3:10
# "Failed Queen" (Demo) - 6:27
References
External links
Misra RecordsOfficial Shearwater siteThe Ascent of Palo Santo Album Mini-siteThe Island Arc live album
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2006 albums
Shearwater (band) albums