SISYPHUS

I was introduced to Son Lux when I happened to catch him live in concert several months back. I loved that I was musically and intellectually and technologically challenged by his performance. Later I heard about this collaboration, Sisyphus, and when I listened, my mind was COMPLETELY BLOWN. It's a challenge to find truly unique and meaningful music. The tracks on this album are musically complex, they layer and morph and transition through genres... and my favorite aspect is really just the beat and the voice and edge of Serengeti over various electronic components - especially the track Rhythm of Devotion. Another favorite band is TV on the Radio.

I pre-ordered the album. I received the album on the release date with no issues from Amazon. The album is good, but I recommend knowing what you're purchasing. It sounds like a side project. Full of awesome hooks, but overall there were a few tracks that lacked vision and cohesiveness. Still, it's Sufjan Stevens and he's a genius - so I'm probably wrong.

I don't know why i let myself go so long without this album. It's everything I want in music

Great album. Complex. Eclectic influences. Interesting subject material. Real meaty tunes. Not for the light-hearted or the shallow. I recommend it wholeheartedly for any intelligent adult.

Everything I expected it to be!

Sisyphus is a collaboration between Chicago rapper Serengeti, New York producer Son Lux and Sufjan Stevens, the Michigan wiz kid and man enjoying a prolonged phase of genre hopping. It would be pleasing to report that this album sees the bringing together of three talented artists in unity of purpose with a clearly defined outcome. Unfortunately this record can't quite work out what it wants to be. First impressions after a number of listens are of a largely decent rap album with Sufjan playing the part of Marcus from Nick Hornby's "About a Boy" as a rather oddly located musical character trying to hang out with the cool kids. When finally the album does reveal greater depths it confirms the trajectory revealed on the "Age of Adz" demonstrating that Stevens is following an increasingly eclectic path albeit with varying degrees of success but nothing which comes close to matching the genius of his "50 States" albums. What is surprising about the album is the lack of synthesis between the artists. There are attempts to weld together songs but they sound forced and ill fitting. Thus "Dishes in the sink" is essentially a piece of minimalist electronica with some wistful Sufjan locked in the middle. Alternatively Serengeti's "Booty Call" could be by any rapper on the planet with the ubiquitous mother f***** references and hard attack. To be fair the wordy "Lion's Share" is much better but in terms of the excitement scale hardly registers and it has a rather silly chanted chorus. Echoes of past glories are also present on "My Oh My" which recalls the type of song structures that made "Come on Feel the Illnoise" so successful. But again the melding of this sweetness with rap seems odd bedfellows particularly with Son Lux's pulsating low end backing dominating proceedings. Another "Adz" like track by Stevens namely "Take Me" is quite beautiful, although a minute or so edited from its repetitive conclusion would not have gone amiss. The album is nonetheless completely redeemed by a number of songs. Stevens atmospheric "Hardly Hanging On" is a true beauty with the most delicate of vocals and haunting backdrop, it is nearly matched by the church like "I wont be afraid". The menacing "Flying Ace" also grows on repeated listens with a feel that would not be alien to Kayne West. Perhaps the track where all three elements work best together is "Rhythm of Devotion" where the inherent possibilities of the collaboration are fully worked through. Sisyphus is by no means a bad album but neither is it a great one. The listener is left at the albums conclusion with the clear impression that all three artists have and will make better solo albums. In the case of Sufjan Stevens it really would be nice to see his song writing given a much fuller outing at some point with an emphasis on melody as well as sound. At the end of the day this album deserves full marks for adventure but overall the sum of the parts does not equal the whole.

When You Feel like no one is putting out truly unique music anymore, You Need To Calm It Down. After listening to The Guardian's exclusive stream of "Sisyphus" over the last two weeks, this beautifully produced album has quickly become one of my favorite releases of the year. Featuring 11 tracks of "catchy raps, pop songs, and sad ballads", "Sisyphus" has shown us that this trio of very talented individuals not only changed their name into something more cohesive but also did the same with their sound. For their debut EP "Beak & Claw" (released in 2012 under the name S/S/S), each member laid down their respective parts individually. This time around they all got together for three weeks to create and record (as the single entity Sisyphus), this sonically rich, predominately mellow, and thoroughly enjoyable LP. As enjoyable as it is, I do have two issues. While I think Serengeti's rapping and Son Lux's beats sound better on here than they do on "Beak & Claw", I unfortunately can't say the same about Sufjan Stevens' vocals. Other than the two singles ("Calm It Down" & "Rhythm Of Devotion"), the large majority of Sufjan's singing on "Sisyphus" is very slow and I'm left desiring more emotion from him after every listen. And then I start the album over again and forget about it. The only other aspect of this LP that that I find less than extraordinary is the lyrics. Not only are they unimpressive overall but, as my wife pointed out to me when I played her the Sisyphus song I thought she'd like most ("Lion's Share"), many of them are repeated over and over again which may not be appealing to some listeners. Now I highly recommend listening to "Sisyphus" from start to finish but if you're looking to purchase songs individually, I have created the following Lyricist Lowdown. Keep in mind that some of the songs listed under Serengeti may feature sparse vocals by Sufjan. Sufjan & Serengeti: "Calm It Down", "Rhythm Of Devotion", "Lion's Share", "Dishes In The Sink" Serengeti: "Booty Call", "Flying Ace", "My Oh My" (although this song features some amazing Illinois-esque bursts), "Alcohol" Sufjan: "Take Me", "I Won't Be Afraid", "Hardly Hanging On" (although this song is basically just a reprise of Sufjan's verse from "Dishes In The Sink") After dozens of listens I still can't get over how much Serengeti sounds like Sage Francis at times. If you like this kind of music you should already know about Deltron 3030 and Broken Bells. My wife said "this sounds like Beck" when she first heard Sisyphus. And by Beck I assume she's referring to his albums "Guero" or "The Information" since I thought the same thing (on a few different songs). I also agree with the people who have heard similarities in some of the beats to Kanye West's "Yeezus" album. If you're interested in purchasing this album on vinyl, you can still get it on White Vinyl at the official Sisyphus website and you should also be able to find some limited edition Clear+Gold Vinyls of "Sisyphus" on eBay and/or Discogs.

Fun mix of different musical styles. Worth a listen