Shamir - "Revelations"

Shamir, AKA Shamir Bailey, has been at it for years bringing quirky Electronic bangers to the indie world.  From his first EP, "Northtown", I just loved Shamir's character in his music.  These tracks were gigantic and had a slight Disco tinge to it.  But outside of that, the production was left field, but also big enough to get you on the dancefloor.  Now, this EP was actually pretty solid, with tracks like "If It Wasn't True" and "Sometimes a Man" being major standouts.  But it quickly made me seriously interested in what Shamir was going to do next.  On Shamir's next album "Ratchet", Shamir brought in some seriously banging singles, like the infectious "Call It Off" and "On The Regular".  But I felt like way too many of the album's deep cuts just fell so short of the whole Shamir dug them into.  So it's been a few years since we've heard from Shamir.  These new singles though caught me a little off guard honestly.  They show Shamir going for much more of a Singer/Songwriter direction, which certainly could work for him.  Let's talk about this album, shall we?

    This album starts off with “Games”, and it’s certainly a very playful and sweet intro.  But right off the bat, I just really get the feeling that Shamir is a little too far out of his comfort zone.  Some of his high notes here just come off as awkward and sounded so much better among the hustling Electro-Disco of his “Ratchet” album.  I do think that Shamir is on to something going for more of this personal sound because as far as that goes there certainly is a charm to this that’s undeniable.  But this very bare, low-fi instrumental is just not flattering for Shamir. There are just one too many moments on “Games” that just come off so damn awkward, I was really hoping for more from this intro.  “You Have A Song” is up next, and as far as an instrumental goes, I actually don’t mind this one at all.  This certainly isn’t nearly as bare-bones as the intro to this album.  And that’s totally fine, I can actually get behind this lumbering bass and anthemic guitars.  Still, I feel like Shamir isn’t completely comfortable in this atmosphere.  I think that lyrically, he’s still on to something with these lyrics, they’re actually seriously captivating.  Some of Shamir’s metaphors and imagery is actually gorgeous.  But I still feel like he’s just not nearly as comfortable as he usually is, making “You Have A Song” just OK.  On the other hand, I actually really love “90’s Kids” on every level.  Shamir sounds so much more comfortable on this one and willing to mesh with this new style of music.  His vocals sound so much more free on this one, and this very quaint Piano-Pop instrumental is sweet as well.  Lyrically, I’ll be honest, I’m not as into this one.  But I can’t help but get swept up in everything else about this one.  The atmosphere is whimsical, and I can’t help but feel like Shamir just sounds so free and happy, even though this is far from the happiest of tunes. As a matter of fact, it’s one of the most serious here, talking about anxiety.  But Shamir at the very least does sound positive.  So if he’s going to continue down this route, “90’s Kids” hits on all of the aspects he should focus on. 

    Now, as soon as I feel like Shamir is getting some real momentum going, “Her Story” shows up.  Instrumentally, this track is ridiculously cheesy.  It’s sort of retro sounding, coming off as almost some Psych Pop from the 60’s.  But Shamir is back to sort of wallowing in the background not knowing what to do within this atmosphere.  That’s fine and all, in a way this track actually could have been really charming.  But no, not in the slightest.  Shamir’s singing on “Her Story” is absolutely painful, soaring over the instrumental and not sounding remotely good.  It’s not charming, and lyrically this is a complete low point for the album.  Not to say this is lyrically bad, but the other tracks here have been just so much more likable and charming.  This album has barely taken off, and it’s flopping harder by the minute.  On the other hand, “Blooming” actually really stands out to me.  It’s moments like this that the Low-Fi vibe to this album really takes off and comes off as seriously charming.  Once again, a lot of elements to this come off like a retro Pop tune that the world forgot about, which is fine.  But I feel like the lyrics here are the real star being seriously adorable.  Not to mention, Shamir’s very heartfelt and sweet performance really backs it up nicely.  I actually really wish this track was a little longer. Now, obviously this still isn’t nearly as punch or lovable as some of his more dance-oriented stuff.  But if he’s going to give us more of this sound, this is a good route to go down.  Up next we have “Cloudy”, which continues to have a very strong retro vibe.  But in moments like this, Shamir is seriously losing me more and more by the minute.   These instrumentals are quaint, and Shamir’s very personal lyrics are more than commendable, don’t get me wrong.  But the total package on some of these tracks is just so awkward.  There’s almost a constant disconnect from the very whimsical instrumentals and Shamir’s vocals that just come off as so far South of what Shamir was going for.  However, I do continue to enjoy the lyrics, and I’m happy Shamir took the time to bring them to us.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8bNSpaJxA8

    “Float” is up next”, and instrumentally I do really like how focused this one comes off.  When these instrumentals get their heads out of the clouds, there’s actually some really solid stuff here.  Overall, “Float” just works so much more for Shamir.  While I still think the production is questionable even by Low-Fi standards, this one is very charming.  I love the more hopeful verses and Shamir’s very sweet vocals.  Not to mention, this one just comes off so determined.  It’s one of the “heavier” tunes on here as well, which doesn’t mean much, but it does give this a little extra oomph.  Then we have “Astral Plane” which is sort of a slow jam with some of the better production we’ve heard here.  Honestly, these are some of the most punctuated instrumentals we’ve heard here so far, which I love.  And lyrically, I still think this is commendable.  But I don’t know why, but Shamir’s performance on this one just does nothing for me.  Some of these spacey lyrics are a little bizarre, especially with just how personal every other track has been.  Not to mention, the sort of almost Reggae grooves here are just so awkward.  Some of y’all may dig “Astral Plane”, but I really don’t get it.  Thankfully, we do get a very good finale in the form of “Straight Boy”.  Lyrically, I feel like this track and this album overall has been so important for Shamir, and we have to commend him for that.  The instrumental on “Straight Boy” may not be my favorite, but it gives Shamir a real chance to shine and finish off this album properly. 

Rating: 6.6/10

Give A Listen To: “90’s Kids”, “Blooming”, “Float”, “Straight Boy”

Genre: Low-Fi / Indie Pop / Indie Rock

Overall Thoughts:  Quite frankly, this album isn’t very pretty.  Most of this album has Shamir trying desperately to get his footing among this new style of music for him.  Which actually isn’t that bad of a thing on paper, everyone needs to really take their time to get used to new styles of music.  But sadly, there are a lot of moments on here that are simply really freaking awkward for Shamir.  Lyrically though, this is a sweet profile of Shamir that we haven’t really seen yet, which is commendable and may be something you love.  But for me, Shamir still has a lot to do within this style of music.