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Golden Archipelago
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Golden Archipelago Image
Metascore
74

Generally favorable reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.3

Universal acclaim- based on 16 Ratings

  • Summary: Produced by John Congleton (St. Vincent, Black Mountain, Polyphonic Spree, Explosions in the Sky), Golden Archipelago is Shearwater's third album released on Matador Records.

Top Track

An Insular Life
A calm then, the roaring wall of the eye As we sailed to the world from an insular life From the boughs that had sheltered us all of our lives From... See the rest of the song lyrics
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 23
  3. Negative: 0 out of 23
  1. Slant Magazine
    90
    Overflowing with talent and ambition, Golden Archipelago is that rare kind of great album: tackling big ideas and attempting chancy things while delivering a product that feels flawlessly and decisively whole.
  2. Paste Magazine
    82
    Archipelago is an argument against verse-chorus-verse structure, and a good one—a rewarding, slow-melting album for patient listeners.
  3. Tiny Mix Tapes
    80
    Serving as the final part of a trilogy that includes the much feted records Rook and , the album is an epic feat of baroque pop craftsmanship, something akin to an update of Scott IV or Dusty in Memphis for the new millennium.
  4. Filter
    76
    Over the course of the 38-minute album, these nouvelle cuisine portions amost add up to a satiating whole. But it's good enough you'll be hungry for more. [Winter 2010, p.94]
    All this publication's reviews
  5. musicOMH.com
    70
    The Golden Archipelago is an admirable achievement: a project that has been meticulously prepared and executed with passion and flair.
  6. PopMatters
    70
    While the beauty of this record will surprise no one who’s been paying any attention to these guys, it’s the immediacy here--that driving pulse--that might catch you off guard. And keep you listening.
  7. Spin
    50
    With Jonathan Meiburg's luxuriant, lachrymose croon topping the slow-cresting violins of this tasteful rock ensemble, The Golden Archipelago will surely satisfy listeners in need of a melodramatic nap.

See all 23 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. Raywater
    Jan 16, 2011
    10
    This album(and have no doubt it's an album on the grandest scale) hides so many surprises so many twists and turns that by the end of it's allThis album(and have no doubt it's an album on the grandest scale) hides so many surprises so many twists and turns that by the end of it's all too short running time you are left inspired, breathess and certain you've just made one of the great discoveries of your life. From the haunting opening Meridians to the scrape the sky Corridors you're flown head first toward the intens Missing Islands. A true classic has been delivered. A contender for album of the decade. High praise indeed. Believe.… Expand
  2. brave032
    Jan 22, 2016
    10
    This album is an absolute masterpiece and listening to it in its entirety (which I do almost every week) has become somewhat of a religiousThis album is an absolute masterpiece and listening to it in its entirety (which I do almost every week) has become somewhat of a religious experience for me. This is a flawless album, it aims high and hits its mark in every way. The sounds are diverse, the lyrics are full of both beautiful and ugly imagery of island life and man's destruction of nature. In addition to that, everything is intricately paced and every song feels like it is in the right place. While I prefer the vinyl edition of the album (with the songs "Silver Bodies" and "False Sentinel"), the regular version is extremely rewarding when listened to all the way through.

    Personal favorite tracks are Meridian, Landscape at Speed, Castaways, and False Sentinel    … Expand

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