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Sisyphus
by
Sisyphus Image
Metascore
64

Generally favorable reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 18 Ratings

  • Summary: The debut full-length release for the collaboration between Serengeti, Son Lux, and Sufjan Stevens (previously known as s/s/s) was commissioned by the Walker Art Center and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra’s Liquid Music series in Minneapolis/St. Paul.
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Top Track

I Won't Be Afraid
I will give it up I won't be afraid I won't try too hard I will touch your back I'm prepared for death I will tear my clothes People try too hard I... See the rest of the song lyrics
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
  1. Drowned In Sound
    Apr 16, 2014
    80
    Sisyphus is almost certainly the greatest hip-hop folk-tinged electronica with a deep techno pop groove record you'll ever hear.
  2. The Independent (UK)
    Mar 14, 2014
    80
    Though the elements don’t always hang together, there’s no shortage of intriguing ideas.
  3. New Musical Express (NME)
    Mar 17, 2014
    70
    They produce pretty mutations; their first collaborative record throws up a mix of stuttering electro-rap and ethereal pop.
  4. Pitchfork
    Apr 3, 2014
    62
    While “Dishes in the Sink” and its companion ballad “Hardly Hanging On” tell a genuinely affecting story of squalor and depression. Despite these peaks, Sisyphus is more fun to ponder than it is to listen to.
  5. Blurt Magazine
    May 30, 2014
    60
    Sisyphus is ultimately as off the wall a release as you’ll likely encounter this year.
  6. Record Collector
    Mar 31, 2014
    60
    Fans of any of the artists involved will be satisfied.
  7. The Line of Best Fit
    Mar 14, 2014
    40
    Sisyphus is a tragic waste of a vivid storyteller.

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User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. Scooter4849
    Apr 23, 2014
    7
    First off let me say, this album is far from perfect, but still, i can't help but love its boldness for one, and the fun display of justFirst off let me say, this album is far from perfect, but still, i can't help but love its boldness for one, and the fun display of just downright absurdness or weirdness, however you call it. What this album does great is genre blending, seeing as it brings three very different musicians together. It blends these various genres of hip hop and pop together nicely.… Expand
  2. TheHague67
    Mar 25, 2014
    4
    Sisyphus is a rebellion. A rebellion against the standard to which many of us die hard Sufjan Stevens fans have come to hold after such aSisyphus is a rebellion. A rebellion against the standard to which many of us die hard Sufjan Stevens fans have come to hold after such a fantastic discography. He was already distracted and obsessive with the sounds of glitch and auto tune within Age of Adz and has far left his folk origins. Though this time he enters into the genre of minimalist and deconstructed hip hop - and primarily only as a compliment. Yet, the core of what hip hop, or dare I say rap, holds in highest esteem, it's beats, are not executed well to any extent. What you're left with is strictly under thought lyrics that sound as if though a previously Christian teenager wishes to upset Mommy and Daddy by over emphasizing his new found appreciation for the F-word. I understand it's important for an artist to "boldly" venture off into differing genres so they don't become "stagnant" or "unimaginative", but it's also very import to stick to what you're good at. I mean, in my honest opinion, I bought the album because it had the name Sufjan Stevens on it, but it certainly didn't hold a candlestick to what Sufjan Stevens used to stand for. I would've been better off buying a Tyler the Creator album. All in all, before this review gets too long, the album is wishy-washy and amateur. Easily reproducible by anybody familiar with garage band software.… Expand