Shamir has been on a roll with covers lately. He turned in a wonderful rendition of Billie Eilish’s “Ocean Eyes” a month ago and now he is back with his own version of Sharon Van Etten’s “DsharpG,” as part of the upcoming reissue of her Ten album.
Van Etten wrote of Shamir on Instagram:
“I was drawn to Shamir’s music by the immediate authenticity & originality of his voice and instrumentation choices. It felt simultaneously throwback and very here & now. So many genres melting into one another, I couldn’t peg it and I loved every minute of the wild ride. Not to mention that his vocal range is from another universe and his arrangements are dark and stormy. Self admittedly, I have a hard time keeping up with ‘music today’ because they all blend into each other and sound so homogenized I can’t tell one from another (even if I like it…) But, Shamir’s music is truly original and a force to be reckoned with in his reimagining of a time where I grew up fondly, angsty & dreaming…”
Van Etten previously said of the album, “Epic represents a crossroads for me as an artist — going from intern to artist at Ba Da Bing, from solo folk singer to playing with a band for the first time and beginning to play shows on tour where people showed up. I am in awe of the artists who wanted to participate in celebrating my anniversary and reissue, from young inspiring musicians, to artists who took me under their wing, who I met on tour, and to artists I’ve looked up to since I was a teenager. Each one of these artists continue to influence my writing and provide a sense of camaraderie during this new era of sharing music.”
Listen to Shamir’s rendition of “DsharpG” above.
Epic Ten is out 4/16 via Ba Da Bing. Pre-order it here.