Review Summary: All of this makes me love you more.
Originally formed in Boston, Massachusetts, now LA based band, Shaimus, is best known for their songs that appeared on both Guitar Hero and Rock Band 2. On the band’s debut, Paper Sun, The song All of This of Guitar Hero fame was more or less the black sheep of the album, contrasting the rest of the album’s cleaner and more mellow sound with an upbeat rocker of a song. Like most people, this song was my first sample of the band’s material.
After four of five play-throughs of the song on Guitar Hero, I was sold. I decided to check out itunes to purchase the full album. Upon starting the album, I was expecting to hear ten jaunty rock songs in the vein of All of This, but was instead treated to a very clean and moderate guitar riff to start off Left to Dry, which would prove to be a very good representation of the chill, restrained sound that made up ninety percent of what the album had to offer. On the band’s follow up, Shaimus expands their sound with a poppy, upbeat, and much more varied outing that shows an improvement in the band’s abilities and their knack for clever songwriting.
The song Interview starts off with some crackly static and another clean guitar riff that, with its difference in mood and tone from the beginning of Left to Dry on Paper Sun, immediately shows a completely new side of Shaimus. The second time through the riff, Phil pounds out some low octaves on the piano and sings, “In our lives, how do we perceive? Do we know what’s right or do we just believe?” the song builds into a fantastic instrumental fill and picks up the tempo for the remainder of the excellent, hook-filled pop rock opener. This time around the band plays with much more energy than their previous effort using catchy, intertwining guitar and piano riffs instead of the clean transparent arrangements of the songs on Paper Sun.
Shaimus’ best quality is their raw ability. While still sounding very original, the band offers fairly little as far as musical innovation goes. They just do it all better than just about any other band you could think of in their chosen style of music. The band members’ playing ability is extremely impressive and absolutely shines throughout the album. The album has virtually no weak link. The incredible guitar and piano lines complement each other splendidly along with very strong vocals that are even better than on Paper Sun. The up-tempo and high energy The Sad Thing is, We Like It Here gives Phil a chance to really cut loose vocally. On Paper Sun his vocals fit in well with the restrained, mellow sound the album presented, but here he really cranks up the intensity on the more energetic of the album’s songs. Even on All of This Phil didn’t approach the level of energy and emotion he does on this album. Songs like Tie You Down and Interview, specifically, show the progression he’s made, though his vocal performance is first-rate on every last song on the album.
The moderate All The Good Ways is the album’s softer side’s first showing, beginning with some smooth vocals by Phil that are sharply contrasted by the almost yelled vocals of the very next song Tie You Down. Tie You Down is another great example of the bands ability. The guitar and especially the piano absolutely rip it up on this song. The band shifts back down again for Heads or Tails that has a very chill relaxed vibe. However, instead of harkening back to the sound of Paper Sun, the song has somewhat of a reggae feel to it. Despite the fact that the song may be the album’s weakest, it’s still a very enjoyable listen and adds to the albums overall diversity.
One of Sad Thing’s strengths is in its structure. It’s set up almost perfectly so that you never get sick of one type of song. Every slower song has an upbeat one right after it, so the listener is never allowed to get bored. Also, clocking in at only ten songs, the album feels very focused and has no excess filler songs. The ending of the album is set up nicely as well. While We’re Young is the longest song on the album and feels like the epic conclusion the album deserves. While not musically the strongest song on the album, the song is a definite highlight and is great lyrically. Comparatively much more somber than the rest of the album, we hear Phil sing about being blind to the world around us and being afraid to take responsibility:
Still we cannot see. We'd rather just be numb,
and it's only just begun.
A lock without a key, a mouth without a tongue.
They get us while we're young.
“It’s only just begun.” The song makes us wonder if our complacency is a never ending cycle, especially on the songs final verse:
Oh and when we step into the room
where our baby sleeps,
will we think to let her walk or be
afraid to let her use her own two feet?
Despite the somber feel and thought provoking lyrics, the song still has a more light-hearted chorus. Shaimus wouldn’t be Shaimus without at least some of their fun, light-hearted feel left intact. The song does a great job of bringing the album to a close.
The actual album closer, Stuck Around, feels more like the bow on top of the wonderful gift the band has given us with this album. It starts with some claps and a simple piano part and Phil’s vocals. After the first two verses, the drums join the party and stay around for the remainder of the song. The song picks up with an awesome guitar solo and leaves us feeling happy and satisfied.
On Sad Thing, Shaimus slightly changes things up and produces another pop rock gem that’s even stronger than their debut release. While some might yearn for the sound of the relaxing Paper Sun, it’s hard to find a pop rock album that’s much better than this one. Shaimus has undoubtedly proven themselves as a band to watch in the coming years. Highly recommended.
Recommended Tracks:
Interview
Tie You Down
I Don’t Want the Story
Like a Fool
While We’re Young
Stuck Around
