Shearwater - Fellow Travelers

Shearwater’s ninth album is a covers record with an unusually sweet sentiment behind it. An ode to touring, Fellow Travelers sees the Austin trio tackle songs from bands they’ve shared the stage with over the years, from Coldplay to Xiu Xiu and St. Vincent. Over the course of ten tracks, they bring that vast range of sounds under their orchestral indie-rock wing, with varying success.

‘Ambiguity’ by British folkie David Thomas Broughton is afforded a new dimension with a discreet sweep of strings. A rendition of St. Vincent’s ‘Cheerleader’ could have come from the band’s own back catalogue, and Coldplay’s ‘Hurts Like Heaven’ is stripped of its stadium bombast, leaving a pretty piano-based cover.

Unfortunately, with some songs a neat, indie-rock make-over just doesn’t cut it, most notably on Xiu Xiu’s ‘I Luv the Valley OH!’. Smoothing over the messiness of the original in an attempt to create a rock anthem, the song’s visceral punch is lost.

As a love letter to touring and friendship, Fellow Travelers is an admirable gesture, but Shearwater’s more famous friends needn’t worry about the renditions outshining their originals.