Shamir is Shamir and remains Shamir through and through, no matter what the universe puts him through. You may know the singularly named artist (think—Madonna or Cher) from his 2015 debut hit record Rachet, beloved by NPR listeners and club kids alike. After quickly rising to underground fame with his Northtown EP in 2014, the DIY pop star made a sonic splash with Rachet’s lead single “On The Regular,” a poppy banger that had extensive commercial usage. But how to follow all that up? Shamir, who came from the dusty dunes of Las Vegas, to Brooklyn’s Silent Barn, to the Philly indie scene (and all over the world in between), wanted to go back to what had inspired him from the beginning. Outsider music, country & punk. Raw and vulnerable tunes, stripped down to their emotional core. 2017’s Revelations explored a new avenue of guitar driven hooky indie rock and was widely critically praised in the US and overseas.
Shamir’s most recent releases, the brilliant Room 7” on Father/Daughter, and his self-released limited edition album, Resolution, are pinnacles in the catalog of the increasingly fascinating artist’s career. Room and its b-side Caballero celebrate Shamir’s love of country music, while Resolution is a deeply introspective look into the fabric of society and the artists’ own mind. With these two releases he has refined his craft exponentially and done so in less than six months from the release of Revelations.
What will your July hold, and what should the soundtrack be? Shamir is back with the answers, divined with special guidance from his mom, Ameenah “Mama” Bailey. Your fortune awaits!
—Amy Rose Spiegel, Editor-in-Chief, Talkhouse Music
Caring Cancer
July theme song: “Party Like A Rock Star,” Shop Boyz
July mantra: “Party like a rock star.”
Happy banging, bountiful, blessed birthday, my captivating, caring Cancer. I wish you prosperity in all of your desires and joys throughout your whole solar year.
July has your Cancer sign and energy trekking through the whole Zodiac wheel—even the New Moon that took place on June 23 was in Cancer. Caring Cancer, you already know that you have to keep your emotions in check. In doing so, you will learn how to create a new you.
You have headstrong, leaping-without-looking Mars and ferociously aggressive brother sun in your original Cancer house to help you party like a rock star. Both of those fire planets will warm up your cooling waters to produce leadership skills at work that will make you shine like a trophy in your career house. Vivacious Venus will be sitting in your twelfth house of secrets and illusions, which mean that you can go all the way out for your birthday month. Party Las Vegas–style: What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. If you wake up next to someone you don’t know in the morning, at least get their name; that’s all I’m saying.
Caring Cancer can be the wild one this month. It’s your birthday, so party hard in July, and rock on, baby!!!!
Lustrous Leo
July theme song: “Get The Party Started,” P!nk
July mantra: “Chill out.”
Happy harmonious, heartfelt birthday, my lovely, lustrous Leo. I’m sending you awesome amounts of abundance and pure love for the remainder of your solar year. My luscious fire peeps, ruled by the blazing, beautiful sun, will actually have a low-key July!
Planets in your house of health that are asking you to be cautious and chill—there will be some games there that are less than straightforward. Velvety Venus and strict Saturn receive some deceptive energy from never-trusted Neptune, but pay attention and you’ll be fine. Your career will maintain an even keel, which will allow you some free time to get away from work on a nice vacation without missing any big clients or deals.
Lustrous Leo, relaxation is unusual for you, since you’re normally so lively, so accept it and tweak it to your benefit by getting some well-needed rest and thinking about new plans. Handle the month as it comes to you—but make sure you blow the roof off this mofo for your birthday, if nothing else!
Very Virgo
July theme song: Diamonds “Rihanna”
July mantra: “Shine bright.”
July is the month for fierce fireworks, and my very Virgo will flash with the same colorful flames in your career and financial houses. You are one of the only signs this month with this lucrative lucky streak in your chart, so you stand out like a glorious diamond. Virgo can thank Venus and Jupiter—their tremendous trine makes all of this possible for you this month.
Soul brother sun and “make it do what it do” Mars will keep your eleventh house of networking pristine, so make those connections, baby, especially in business and building your career. The only caveat I have for you this month, my very Virgo, is to keep an eye on your health. If anything comes up, jump on it immediately, even if it is just a little summer cold. Take care of yourself, my very precious ones, and shine as bright as the stars in the sky this month, because you have all the fuel to do so.
