Homo Anxietatem

これまでXL RECORDINGSや FATHER/DAUGHTERからインディー、エレクトロ、ディスコ、インダストリアルと多彩なスタイルで作品をリリース、RSDではMAC DEMARCOとのスプリット7インチもリリースしてきたシンガーソングライター、SHAMIR。新録アルバムとしてはKILL ROCK STARSから初となるアルバム『HOMO ANXIETATEM』をリリース!

ギター、ベース、ドラムのコンボにこだわり、ライヴとレコーディングをかつてないほど密接に連携させ生み出したスタジオ・アルバム。多彩なスタイルはそのままに、より内省的な仕上がりとなった新作となっています。

Its an interesting coincidence that Shamir reissued his second album, Hope, a few months before the release of his ninth full-length, Homo Anxietatem. While both records eloquently reflect the emotionally challenging times that spawned them, they couldnt sound more different. Hopes unapologetically lo-fi sonics underscored the rawness of his confessions, but on Homo Anxietatem (Latin for "anxious man"), Shamir sounds just as authentic in more polished surroundings. Collaborating with the producer Hoost -- who also worked closely with another queer alt-pop trailblazer, Rina Sawayama -- he refines his songs with a level of pop craft that rivals his debut album, Ratchet, and holds on to his gift for immersing listeners in his feelings. Anxiety has shadowed, but not overshadowed, Shamirs music and life for years, and hes an expert at sharing his fears and how he copes with them. A world dying from climate change gets tangled up in his own mortality on "Without You," and as he notes on "Wandering Through," "Words can cut you just like glass/Sharp and completely see-through," but radiant guitars make "Oversized Sweater" the musical equivalent of its comforting namesake. The pristine production brings all the shades within Homo Anxietatems music into sharp focus. Shamirs 90s pop and rock allusions sound especially purposeful on "Our Song"s chugging, churning lament about heartache at the record store and on "The Beginning," which wraps his broken heart in sunny riffs, a scratch-laden beat, and references to Chers "If I Could Turn Back Time." Some of the albums other standouts expand his repertoire. The galloping drums and backing choir that build on "Crime" inject Kate Bush-like drama, while the driving 80s vibe of "Obsession" calls to mind Laura Brannigan or Pat Benatar. Any lingering fears that Homo Anxietatems tidier aesthetic is too smooth or confining are assuaged by the Delta blues homage "The Devil Said the Blues Is All Ill Know" and the folk balladry of "Calloused," both of which find Shamir confronting his demons with some of the albums most down-to-earth music. Wide-ranging yet cohesive, crafted yet genuine, Homo Anxietatem is an expansive, satisfying standout within his body of work. ~ Heather Phares