Ratchet

Shamir

Ratchet

Debut LP of electronic indie pop from the Las Vegas singer-songwriter produced by GODMODE's Nick Sylvester

ADM rating[?]

7.5

Label
XL
UK Release date
18/05/2015
US Release date
19/05/2015
  1. 9.0 |   The Music

    Shamir’s instantly likeable debut proudly aims to show us a blinding good time
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  2. 9.0 |   Spin

    It’s an incredible album strewn with highlights obvious and sneaky, the rare debut that holds up the weight of its backstory
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  3. 9.0 |   Tiny Mix Tapes

    Ratchet is one of the most purely pleasurable records I’ve heard so far this year, and one of the strongest debuts in several years
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  4. 8.3 |   Pretty Much Amazing

    Its highs are high enough that its lows can be forgiven, or forgotten entirely. Ratchet consolidates Shamir's many talents: the sassy lyricist, the virtuosic tunesmith, the unperturbed diva
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  5. 8.3 |   Pitchfork

    What Ratchet’s 10 songs of self-discovery say without saying at all is that there’s liberation on the dancefloor
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  6. 8.0 |   NME

    Fresh, full of warmth, spontaneity and spark
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  7. 8.0 |   The Irish Times

    Bailey tells the story of his life and surroundings with style, substance and a whole lot of pizzazz
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  8. 8.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    This is an album held together not by cotton candy quirks or the clang of cowbell, but by the inimitable Shamir being Shamir
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  9. 8.0 |   DIY

    One of the year’s most accomplished, left-field pop albums
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  10. 8.0 |   The 405

    Ratchet is instantly likeable and oh so infectious. A great pop album through and through, there's enough here to keep you dancing all through the summer
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  11. 8.0 |   All Music

    Ratchet is a fully realized, entertaining portrait of an artist who knows where he's from and where he's going
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  12. 8.0 |   PopMatters

    Ratchet proclaims two truths: ain’t nobody got time for “basic ratchet guys”, and everybody got time for Shamir Bailey
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  13. 8.0 |   Slant Magazine

    His winking in-jokes and one-liners might have gotten the Internet's attention, but Ratchet wins you over when it reveals that this smart-aleck's got a beating heart too
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  14. 8.0 |   Spectrum Culture

    Shamir effortlessly believes in himself in a way that marks him as far wiser than most on the pop scene today
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  15. 8.0 |   NOW

    He projects a charismatic mix of youthful playfulness, cheeky confidence and naked vulnerability that would seem wasted on fun dance pop except that he does it so perfectly
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  16. 8.0 |   State

    Despite being only 20 years old, Shamir has tapped into a vein of honesty with his songs, made all the more interesting by that voice
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  17. 8.0 |   Q

    Arresting debut from commanding pop talent. Print edition only

  18. 7.0 |   Under The Radar

    A luminously cool engineering of synths and beats
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  19. 7.0 |   FasterLouder

    An interesting, eccentric collection of pop songs encompassing a grab bag of styles and emotion
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  20. 7.0 |   Exclaim

    A confident first album, demonstrating an extraordinary talent for mixing bangers with ballads
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  21. 6.7 |   Consequence Of Sound

    Admittedly, the party wouldn’t get as far off the ground without the help of GODMODE producer Nick Sylvester
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  22. 6.5 |   Beardfood

    Shamir sounds like a pop star already, but his debut is not substantial enough
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  23. 6.0 |   The Observer

    Bailey’s refusal to be pigeonholed artistically is admirable, but frustrating
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  24. 6.0 |   Rolling Stone

    Las Vegas newcomer Shamir works disco into a state of undress on his first full-length album
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  25. 6.0 |   Loud And Quiet

    He’s as vocal about his love for Vivian Girls and The Slits as he is about Prince or Larry Levan, and it’s fascinating to hear
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  26. 4.5 |   Crack

    The emotion feels tokenistic, cordoned off to the designated sad songs where crooning and slowed pace substitute the nuanced emotional investment glimpsed fleetingly in his earlier, more daring work
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Shamir: Ratchet

  • Download full album for just £8.49
  • 1. Vegas £0.89
  • 2. Make A Scene £0.89
  • 3. On The Regular £0.89
  • 4. Call It Off £0.89
  • 5. Hot Mess £0.89
  • 6. Demon £0.89
  • 7. In For The Kill £0.89
  • 8. Youth £0.89
  • 9. Darker £0.89
  • 10. Head In The Clouds £0.89
  • 11. KC (Bonus track) £0.89
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