Shamir
Ratchet

2.5
average

Review

by apokolypz USER (25 Reviews)
July 7th, 2015 | 41 replies

Release Date: 2015 | Tracklist

Review Summary: Funky R&B with a healthy mix of house music is just barely enough to keep Shamir's delivery appetizing.

Firstly I'd like to say that this is one of the most successful attempts at being influenced by LCD Soundsystem and putting it to good albeit, copycat use. Now if you take the instrumentals that made LCD Soundsystem so interesting and popular and imagine the nasally, timid, yet catchy vocalist from Hot Chip, Alexis Taylor, was into hip hop - you've got an accurate sound description as to what can be found on the debut album, Ratchet.

However, Ratchet is littered with slow songs where Shamir wants to get passionate and showcase an elegant vocal emphasis. Key word there - 'wants', because every time Shamir wants the down-tempo sap in replace for his bubbly, fun, and chaotic electronics blending in with his polarizing voice (to some) his voice becomes just that - even more polarizing in a boring display of ballads. In the major contrast, take a listen to "Call it Off" or "Make a Scene" which are two of the grooviest and dance-able tracks on the album. You can tell Shamir has much more confidence and willingness to have fun when he is actually put in front of the urban-geeky barrage of bass blasting glitches and house beats. When you listen to "Vegas" or "Demon" it is so off putting to have to come down from the great club tracks paired with Shamir's silly and likable lyrics you'd see on a 15 year old's Tumblr quote thread ("Guess I'm never-ending, you could call me pi. But really, how long till the world realize. Yes, yes I'm the best, *** what you heard. Anything less is obviously absurd.") and then have to be greeted by Shamir's longwinded attempts at being serious. It's a back and forth game of hard hitting dance tracks rubbing off of annoying electronic ballads. You'll probably be cherry picking this album a good bit.

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user ratings (80)

3.3
great

recommended by reviewer

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discussion

On 12 Music Lists

Comments:	Add a Comment
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wtferrothorn July 7th 2015 5849 Comments	Album Rating: 2.5 Just a heads up, the band you were talking about isn't called LSD Soundsystem, it's LCD Soundsytem. Other than that, pretty good review

Rev July 7th 2015 9882 Comments	Album Rating: 2.0 yeah this sucks

apokolypz July 7th 2015 491 Comments	Album Rating: 2.5 lmao, lsd. Had a whole conversation about that today, so I can see how I messed that up XD Fixed thanks. Although lsd soundsystem sounds better to me

Lord(e)Po)))ts July 7th 2015 70256 Comments	Album Rating: 2.0 yeah this sucks Digging: Slime Girls - YUMEMI/LONELY PLANET GIR lmao rev u are easily one of the biggest knobs on this entire site. go listen to some more stereotypical regressive weeaboo offensively aggressive cultural appropriation bullshit akira inspired ~dreamwave~ and have a fap about it album is rad love Shamirs whole androgynous thing goin on this is good educational music for people that leave their house and know whats going on in the world

Lord(e)Po)))ts July 7th 2015 70256 Comments	also lmao at the lsd soundsystem thing thats hilarious have a pos

Rev July 7th 2015 9882 Comments	Album Rating: 2.0 whatever dude

Brostep Emeritus July 7th 2015 4491 Comments	Album Rating: 3.0 album's all right but I loved the first few seconds of the first track and got super excited and then it kinda flattened out and got a lot less interesting pretty quickly. might try it again soon though

AmericanFlagAsh July 7th 2015 13617 Comments	Album Rating: 3.5 On The Regular rules

apokolypz July 7th 2015 491 Comments	Album Rating: 2.5 @Brostep, yeah Vegas was kinda floppy, but then the next few tracks after it are quite a bit of fun.

ShitsofRain July 7th 2015 8263 Comments	potsy so mad lmao

Brostep Emeritus July 8th 2015 4491 Comments	Album Rating: 3.0 welp this just clicked and it's killer

sportsboy July 12th 2015 702 Comments	Album Rating: 4.0 \| Sound Off shamir needs that BIG hit cause i would love his ass to blow up

CusmanX1 October 10th 2015 375 Comments	Album Rating: 2.0 I'm digging this in these days, and it doesn't seems so bad as you write.

AmericanFlagAsh November 9th 2015 13617 Comments	Album Rating: 3.5 Ok so finally listened to this. It's pretty good. On the Regular still rules. The first two tracks I don't care for. Hot Mess is annoying af. I really like Call It Off, Demon, and In For the Kill. The last three tracks are alright. KC, the bonus song, is a nice little ballad.

Calc November 23rd 2015 17472 Comments	is this the really feminine guy?

Ryus November 23rd 2015 37886 Comments

Calc November 23rd 2015 17472 Comments	is calling a man feminine blacklisted now too? gah dammit i can't keep up. I think this is the guy i saw in the music video where he's in a clothes store or something. I remember liking it.

Ryus November 23rd 2015 37886 Comments	it's just kind of a weird thing to say when shamir doesn't identify as male or female

Calc November 23rd 2015 17472 Comments	of course (pronoun) doesn't. am i thinking of the right human though? with the music video?

Ryus November 23rd 2015 37886 Comments	yeah

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