BOTW Review: Shine 2009 – ‘Our Nation’

There’s something about this band that have kept them on constant repeat on my (sadly rarely-updated) iPod. The laid-back beats and blissed-out lyrics of their 2011 debut Realism are equally at home as partystarting classic, a rainy-day fundown or a reflective train journey.

But how to follow that up? They couldn’t have got any more horizontal, so they’ve metaphorically got over their languor, sat upright and got themselves engaged. Lyrically, Our Nation is one of the first records that actually seems to process what’s going on in the world, rather than boxing it away with your dayjob and partying at the weekend. Lyrics cover recession and the economic climate, the impermanence of digital culture, getting older, the blurring of cultural lines and the difficulties and joys of being proud of your country. As Sami says “We are interested in the current meaning of nation in a world where everything is suddenly global. It’s not always clear how living in a certain place affects you and your thinking.” Now that’s something refreshing to read on a press release.

But don’t get them wrong. This isn’t some sort of dreadlock-adorned crusty record – it address these modern issues in a thoroughly modern way – musically, Shine 2009 are mining an interesting mix of acid house, golden-era hiphop, ‘90s club anthems and the relaxed Ian Brown-esque delivery of the lyrics. The duo are happy to mix their time signatures and musical references through their own filter, creating something that falls in line with the current atomised state of musical influences, as well as the chaotic nature of the album’s subject.

Of course, as a subjective and somewhat picky music journo, I’m putting my own reading onto this record. It doesn’t matter if they don’t want it to be political – it is. It’s not jingoistic, or overly sentimental, but it does toe that difficult line of talking about complex issues without sensationalising them – there’s a double-reading to both the lyrics and the music – one of issues and one of forgetting them. It’s the way we all react to the world today: sometimes you choose to engage; sometimes you have to let it go. It’s that dichotomy that makes this album a must-listen, for a portrait of what it is to be young in Europe – the joys, the politics, the hardship and the parties, the friends, the enemies and most importantly: the music.

– Seb Law