SIRA blends multiple genres on “Cosmic Shebeen.” One can hear the African folk music influence as well as hip-hop, and Eastern orchestration. Hailing from Brazil, SIRA states on her Bandcamp site that she is, “…obsessed with the idea of apocalypse.” This shines through as the narrator sings like an oracle with lines like,
Is it the end of the world?
By wave or fire
Are we dying?
Are we awake, is this a dream?
Inside this Cosmic Shebeen?
Shebeen, which is the anglicized version of the Irish word “sibin,” translates to “home-made whiskey.” Further meaning on the word “shebeen” is that it originally refered to an illicit bar or club where alcoholic beverages were available without a license. It seems that SIRA is implying that we have entered a realm in time where the masses are drunk on many vices. Power. Greed. War. Even racketeering, perhaps. The lyrics are protesting in nature and reminiscent of the great Bob Dylan who’s career began with protest songs.
While we stare at our screens
Wondering what might have been
Seatbelt off in the machine
Enter the Cosmic Shebeen
There’s no time to explore
The pattern set and now its war
To the edge we careen
Find the Cosmic Shebeen
For a dance song, “Cosmic Shebeen” is very lyrically heavy in content, quality, and quantity. It is such a pleasure to listen to. You will be bobbing your head to the beat and looped flute that plays over the background. The lyrics are sung with a hush as if SIRA is providing a prophecy for you to listen to intently. In this day and age these songs are just as important as they were when Dylan sang, “Only a Pawn in Their Game” and “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall.” These are protest songs for the ages. And so is “Cosmic Shebeen.” Do yourself a favor and grab this track!
Written by The Moderner
