Rating: NNN
As recent albums by Disclosure and Hercules and Love Affair have shown, dance music is a gold mine of young vocal talent. And it’s most exciting when a singer from beyond the usual meccas of New York, London and Berlin emerges, suggesting an interesting new perspective.
A child of Las Vegas’s suburbs, Shamir Bailey is an androgynously voiced teen bringing raw fragility and post-punk energy to songs about loneliness and masculinity. Although his debut release is primarily focused on unvarnished disco beats, its tenacious songwriting and strong sense of style make it tempting to compare him to San Francisco disco icon Sylvester.
Bailey was discovered by a different Sylvester – Pitchfork contributor Nick – after he sent him a demo tape, and together the pair crafted a trio of throbbing dance tracks that blend industrial analog synths with tight, driving rhythms.
The heart-wrenching ballad I’ll Never Be Able To Love and a cover of Canadian country musician Lindi Ortega’s Lived And Died Alone hint at more varied musical directions yet to be explored.
Top track: I’ll Never Be Able To Love
