Sisyphus (album)

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Sisyphus
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 18, 2014 (2014-03-18)
GenreHip hop, electronic
Length51:31
LabelAsthmatic Kitty
Sisyphus chronology
Beak & Claw
(2012)
Sisyphus
(2014)
Singles from Sisyphus
  1. "Calm It Down"
    Released: December 19, 2013[1]

Sisyphus is the debut studio album by Sisyphus, a collaborative project between Serengeti, Son Lux, and Sufjan Stevens.[2] It was released through Asthmatic Kitty on March 18, 2014.[3] The project was commissioned by the Walker Art Center and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra's Liquid Music series to accompany an exhibition of the work of visual artist Jim Hodges, scheduled to run from February 14 through May 11, 2014.[4]

Music videos were made for "Calm It Down",[5] "Alcohol",[6] "Booty Call",[7] and "Take Me".[8]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic64/100[9]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[10]
Clash7/10[11]
Consequence of SoundC[3]
The Guardian[12]
MusicOMH[13]
NME[14]
Pitchfork6.2/10[15]
PopMatters[16]
Spectrum Culture[17]

At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 64, based on 17 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[9]

Jeremy D. Larson of Pitchfork gave the album a 6.2 out of 10, saying: "More often than not, Sisyphus misses its mark, but the album's dense, melancholy back half represents its strongest moments."[15] Meanwhile, Paul MacInnes of The Guardian gave the album 4 stars out of 5, saying: "Even when the fusion doesn't work, you can't help but admire the creativity."[12]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleLength
1."Calm It Down"6:30
2."Take Me"5:57
3."Booty Call"2:22
4."Rhythm of Devotion"6:02
5."Flying Ace"3:05
6."My Oh My"3:31
7."I Won't Be Afraid"5:15
8."Lion's Share"4:16
9."Dishes in the Sink"3:35
10."Hardly Hanging On"4:18
11."Alcohol"6:40

Personnel[edit]

Credits adapted from liner notes.

Sisyphus

Additional musicians

Technical personnel

  • Jim Hodges – artwork
  • Stephen Halker – Sisyphus logo
  • David Regen – back cover photography
  • Ronald Amstutz – interior photography

Charts[edit]

Chart Peak
position
US Billboard 200[18] 163
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[19] 3
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[20] 32
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[21] 47

References[edit]

  1. ^ Eakin, Marah (December 19, 2013). "Sufjan Stevens' group Sisyphus is releasing a new record next year". The A.V. Club. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  2. ^ Jamin, Jen (March 7, 2014). "10 Albums to Stream: Black Lips, Bradford Cox, 'Divergent' Soundtrack, and More". Spin. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  3. ^ a b Bosmanon, Chris (March 17, 2014). "Sisyphus – Sisyphus". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  4. ^ Minsker, Evan (December 19, 2013). "Listen: Sufjan Stevens, Son Lux, and Serengeti Announce LP as Sisyphus, Share "Calm It Down"". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  5. ^ Deville, Chris (December 19, 2013). "Sisyphus (Sufjan, Son Lux, & Serengeti) – "Calm It Down"". Stereogum. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  6. ^ Batt, Anna (February 17, 2014). "Watch: Sisyphus (Sufjan Stevens, Son Lux, Serengeti) – "Alcohol"". CMJ. Archived from the original on December 5, 2014. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  7. ^ Hudson, Alex (March 26, 2014). "Sisyphus "Booty Call" (video)". Exclaim!. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  8. ^ Geslani, Michelle (May 2, 2014). "Watch: Sufjan Stevens stars in Sisyphus' new video for "Take Me"". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  9. ^ a b "Sisyphus by Sisyphus". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  10. ^ Monger, Timothy. "Sisyphus - Sisyphus". AllMusic. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  11. ^ Wilson, Anna (March 10, 2014). "Sisyphus - Sisyphus". Clash. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  12. ^ a b MacInnes, Paul (March 20, 2014). "Sisyphus: Sisyphus review". The Guardian. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  13. ^ Kilby, Dylan (March 17, 2014). "Sisyphus – Sisyphus". MusicOMH. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  14. ^ Daly, Rhian (March 14, 2014). "Sisyphus - 'Sisyphus'". NME. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  15. ^ a b Larson, Jeremy D. (April 3, 2014). "Sisyphus: Sisyphus". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  16. ^ Lathan, Ryan (June 2, 2014). "Sisyphus: Sisyphus". PopMatters. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  17. ^ Goller, Josh (March 17, 2014). "Sisyphus: Sisyphus". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  18. ^ "Sisyphus: Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  19. ^ "Sisyphus: Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  20. ^ "Sisyphus: Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  21. ^ "Sisyphus: Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 7, 2018.

External links[edit]