Sia - This Is Acting

You'd be forgiven for feeling that Sia's faceless campaign for her last behemoth album (first major commercial abum) 1000 Forms of Fear was a little bratty. Facing away from the crowd as your perform didn't seem like the best way to win new followers, however, somehow she nailed it. With incredible songs like 'Chandelier' and 'Elastic Heart' it would be impossible not to fall in love with the new, pop heavy version of the once odd ball, indy-pop artist. 

A leap has been made for new album 'This Is Acting', Sia now faces the crowd and reveals her mouth but covers the upper half of her face with a black and white wig. She's also flaunting some incredible pins but that's neither here nor there (they're really good legs!). I digress. This new album is even more commercial than its predecessor, but for good reason. The clue is in the title; this is Sia as 'Sia the Popstar'. This is Sia singing a collection of songs she'd never normally sing herself, ones she wrote for other major artists that either rejected them or in some cases she actually asked for the song back. This is the reverse of conventional musical experimentalism, where the likes of Beyoncé dabble in new noir sounds, Sia is striding on into the pop spectrum to fill her place.

Sia - Big Girls Cry

Sia's 1000 Forms of Fear album campaign has been her most successful to date. It's the most commercially present she's ever been and the majority of the songs on the album are exquisite. I've gotten used to the covered face now and I've forgiven the pretentious nature of that particular gimmick given that the quality of music is so high. However, Sia, you have a lovely face so please take that bloody wig off, turn around, and address your loyal subjects. 

Digital music has really buggered the single release structure of old. Chandelier was the first single (what a behemoth it is too) and now fourth single Big Girls Cry was actually the third single and its predecessor Elastic Heart the fourth. Christ Almighty. Anyway, new(ish) single Big Girls Cry is one of the highlights from 1000 Forms of Fear. Sia's vocals soar throughout, overwrought with emotion, every undoctored crack in her voice heightening the authenticity of the experience. "I may cry ruining my makeup/ Wash away all the things you've taken/ I don't care if I don't look pretty/ Big girls cry when their hearts are breaking..." she sings over harmonic layers and a thumping beat. It's got just as much charm as the singles that came before it and is destined to be mauled by talent show contestants in the near future; thank you Simon Cowell.

5 / 5

Sia - 1000 Forms of Fear Review

There are few songwriters as in vogue as Sia Furler. She began her solo career 14 years ago and achieved moderate success with her first five studio albums. Then with the sneaky shenanigans of one David Guetta her voice was flung into the spotlight on mammoth dance hit Titanium and then again with Flo Rida on Wild Ones. With the pressures of fame her personal battle with alcohol, drugs, depression and her unfortunate diagnosis of Graves disease she now wants to remain out of the spotlight, at least as a person. Her music however, could thwart this as she releases sixth studio album, 1000 Forms Of Fear, an album that is set to be her biggest seller so far and increase the attention bestowed on her. 

The album opens with behemoth track Chandelier which serves as the album's lead single and it's more immense, euphoric and heady than any of her past releases. Dealing with the 'party girl' approach to alcoholism ("Party girls don't get hurt/ can't feel anything/ when will I learn/ I push it down I push it down..."), a reflection of Sia's own battle with the addiction, the song is a thumping, whirlwind power ballad with elements of eletronica and hip hop layered under a soaring vocal that cracks at all the right moments. It's a contender for song of the year and as it stands it's way out in the lead. The grandeur doesn't stop there. Big Girls Cry is another album highlight/massive ballad with a brilliant chorus and Eye Of The Needle is wrought with emotion. The vocal breaks give her emotion authenticity and it's her pathos coated vocals that send the likes of Fire Meet Gasoline into the stratosphere, a song with a killer melody and an epic chorus that only she could hold the reigns to.

Sia - Chandelier Music Video

I have one thing to say. The video for Sia's Chandelier is amazing. 

Sia - Chandelier

Sia Furler is my favourite singer, songwriter, pure musical marvel. I can't deny my unlimited adoration for the work she does but as always I try to remain as unbiased in my posts as I can muster. Her new song Chandelier premiered at 4am UK time. I listened to it at 9.05am UK time. It's now 11.30pm and I'm on play number... something. 

This is a special song and it's certainly a special moment in Sia's career. She has always made it clear that she doesn't want to be in the 'spotlight'. Some say her songwriting and vocal credits on mammoth hits Titanium and Wild Ones, as well as working with the likes of Christina Aguilera, Rihanna and Beyoncé, contradict this. You can write and produce magical music without craving fame.

Chandelier is an r&b tinged outing, with a ridiculous chorus and by "ridiculous" I mean incredible. Her vocals soar up there, right bloody up there and what you initially interpret as a song about getting smashed and literally swinging from a chandelier turns into a song about taking chances and being shit scared about the whole thing, “I’m holding on for dear life, won’t look down won’t open my eyes”. This new song is an indicator of one hell of a pop album coming our way, I can feel it.

5/5

Lea Michele - Cannonball

I'm not a Glee fan. I wasn't a Lea Michele fan, in fact I'd say I disliked her simply for playing such an annoying TV character. Then I heard Cannonball, her debut single and lead from her upcoming debut album Louder. I thought "oh here we fucking go", then I heard it and thought "shit, this is actually so catchy I might actually fall in love with it". It's not the crap stick you'd expect, trust me. Lea sings beautifully throughout, with some insanely high, flawless notes. Her voice, the thumping poppy production courtesy of Stargate (Only Girl In the World) and lyrics co-penned by musical empress Sia, come together and make a really, very good pop song. It's quite 'broadway', but that's to be expected and can't take away from the fact that this is a really blood uplifting midtempo ballad.

4/5

Rated i's Top 25 Songs of 2013

                    

http://open.spotify.com/user/primitive_/playlist/7JR93Xu9k1Ofy6YecbwL18

It's almost the end of another bloody year which means a new year is upon us and it will be filled with new, hopefully amazing music. It would be silly to go into 2014 without looking back at the best pop moments from the past 12 months. 2013 saw the release of a new Lady Gaga album, ARTPOP, which wasn't very good but created a lot of excitement all the same. We also got a new Katy Perry album in the shape of Prism and it wasn't perfect, but it was nice to have her back. There has been great new music from UK babe Katy B, proving that sticking to what you're good at can be a good thing. JT also rose from the pop ashes with a hugely successful album and equally as popular singles. Leona Lewis even out right some wrongs with a superb Christmas album! It's almost too much to take in!

The year didn't just have plenty for 'pop' fans, there have also been plenty of brilliant, slightly more 'alternative' tracks/albums. VV Brown made a comeback with the surprisingly incredible Samson & Delilah. Kanye West kept rap fans happy with his new album Yeezus which contains elements of punk-rap and newcomers HAIM proved that playing your own instruments and writing your own 
alt-pop songs is still cool and can produce amazing results.

The big news though, you know what's coming, was the surprise release of Beyoncé's 5th studio album Beyoncé. It turned out to be a surprise in more ways than one and is her best album to date (fact). If it had come out a few weeks earlier I would have included a couple of the songs on here because they really are that good, but it wouldn't be fair so late in the year and so close to the publishing of this post. So, Beyoncé, release some amazing cuts next year and you will surely find yourself on this list.

Kick back and have a read through my top 25 singles from 2013. There may be some surprises in there, there may not. We know MKS are going to fare well don't we? Here we go:

                   

TWENTYFIVE. Heart Attack - Demi Lovato    

A far cry from the antics of Miley, Demi Lovato maintained pure pop in 2013 and gained herself some new fans in the process. Brilliant track Heart Attack hooked thousands when it came out earlier this year, with its heaving pop production and catchy lyrics. It was just what the charts needed, frivolous pop fun from a well respected vocalist.

TWENTYFOUR. You (Ha ha ha) - Charli XCX         

She's not very well known at all bar a credit on Icona Pop's mammoth hit I love It. She does have an album of her own though and it's quite good. You is one of the quirkiest tracks from the album, sampling Gold Panda's eastern sitar arrangement to add a bit more flavour to her electronic synth stylings. This is begging for a club spin.

TWENTYTHREE. Can't Hold Us - Macklemore ft Ryan Lewis 

His second single from The Heist, this is a Brazilian flavoured, dance floor filling extravaganza that is literally impossible to resist. It's not as tongue in cheek as Thrift Shop but what it lacks in humour it makes up for with sheer ass shaking genius.            

TWENTYTWO. Thunder - Jessie J

Jessie J came back in 2013 with her second album Alive, releasing new hit singles Wild and It's My Party. She decided for a third single though that she'd prove her new album isn't all about being famous and being amazing. Thunder is a thumping pop anthem with some of the best vocals of her career on the best song of her career so far (bar Domino).               

TWENTYONE. The Apple - VV Brown 

This is one of those songs that will struggle because the artist it's attached to has a minimal public profile. It's the most commercial cut from her new concept album Samson & Delilah but retains enough 'alternative' flavour to keep the snobs happy. With its heaving beats and synths, along with an opera inspired vocal, this won't grab everyone at first but give it a chance and you'll find yourself very surprised.

TWENTY. I Love It - Icona Pop       

A kinda surprise number 1 in the UK, I love It put this dj duo on the pop map. It opens with a standout ignition riff that repeats throughout the song and bursts into a roaring, chanting chorus about throwing someone's "shit down the stairs". Now that is stuff, not actual shit... I think? It's doubtful they could ever match the success of this single. It could be a trip to the one hit wonder hall of fame for these ladies.

NINETEEN. Black Skinhead - Kanye West

It's the only time you'll get some solid punk-rap in 2013. It opens sounding a bit like a Marylin Manson track before erupting into an aggressive race rap. I love it and I am not a Kanye West fan. He might be a dick but the guy sure does know his way around a recording studio. Now, to erase Bound 2 from my mind.

EIGHTEEN. Hold On, We're Going Home - Drake       

Drake could have struggled to match the awesomeness of Take Care but thankfully he didn't. This is an incredible R&B dance track and it's actually quite beautiful to behold. Drake shows off his actual singing/not rapping talent and his voice sounds pretty nice. This song shows exactly why people like Rihanna and Beyoncé want him on their albums. 

SEVENTEEN. 5am - Katy B     

5am is the second cut from her new album Little Red. It reinforces the promise made by the lead single What Love Is Made of, with gorgeous dance production and wonderful vocal control throughout. It's another should have been top ten song, but we can at least rest assured that Katy is still writing brilliant music. Just wait till you hit the chorus, wow.

SIXTEEN. Blurred Lines - Robin Thicke ft. Pharrell  
Controversy aside, Blurred Lines is a damn well constructed song with a disco-R&B sound. It won't inspire any positive response from feminists, but it's so catchy I defy even the haters of the track's controversial lyricism not to sing along. It's the biggest selling song of the year, so it must be pleasing someone. "Everybody get up!"

Rated: Sia - Elastic Heart & a few suggestions from the past

I'm a bit stressed thinking about how well known/popular Sia is becoming this year. The stress comes from the certainty that people will respect her only for her song writing and features on massive dances tracks and film soundtracks, and not for the incredible 3 albums that precede these ventures. If you haven't listened to Sia's solo work before, you need to do so now before it's too late and you are sucked into the David Guetta coven. 

She's got a new single on the Hunger Games: Catching Fire soundtrack called 'Elastic Heart', featuring Diplo and The Weeknd. It retains the sometimes quirky production of her back catalogue and it certainly shows off what an incredibly talented vocalist she is. If any song was a good starting point 'Elastic Heart' is it. 

If by any chance you are interested in hearing some of her past works, here are 5 suggestions for you to get hammering into Spotify:

1. Clap Your Hands
2. The Girl You Lost to Cocaine
3. Breathe Me 
4. I'm In Here
5. Hurting Me Now

Rated: Sia Aka God - Sings Diamonds

My favourite, adorable, wonderful, talented and just fucking incredibly perfect singer Sia has performed  Rihanna's 'Diamonds' live. Good for her because it's her song. Good for her because, where Rihanna's is a 5/5, this is a 10/5. Popjustice drew my attention to this fantastic moment this evening and I thank him/her/them from the bottom of my Sia soaked heart. Let's hope she does just as PJ says she should do and release her own original versions of all the amazing songs she's written/contributed to for the likes of Ri and the unstoppable crap music machine that is Flo Rida.

Click through on the link below for a lovely song from Sia's amazing album We Are Born.

Rated: Sia & Christina Aguilera Collab!

I literally saw this on Soundcloud a few seconds ago and felt more excited than I have done for ages about a song! 'Blank Page' is a collaboration on Lotus between love of my life Sia Furler and US Voice coach Christina Aguilera. Amazing. Amazing. Bloody Amazing. 

  Sia - Blank Page (Christina Aguilera Demo) by OfficialMedia

Rated Little Black Sandals

One of my favourite album of all time is Some People Have Real Problems by the almighty Sia. One of my favourite songs (three actually) of all time is on this album. 'Little Black Sandals' is a cute, chilled yet bouncy number, with a gorgeous chorus and some lovely lyricism. Everyone has an artist that inspires them everyday and Sia does that for me. New album in 2012 please, PLEASE.

Rated Wednesday Tune

I'm lying in my bed, about to get stuck into my book (300/900 pages - ugh) when a lovely song, I completely and stupidly neglected for the last 6 months popped on itunes' shuffle. If you are looking for a truly stunning, stripped ballad, check out 'You Have Been Loved' by Sia. It's totally stunning.

Rated 'I'm In Here'

My favourite song this month (August) is the very non-summery 'I'm In Here' from the tail end of Sia Furler's stunning disco-pop infusion album We Are Born. I love every song on here, but this song is so affective and so self reflective that I can't resist its charm. Check it out, you won't be disappointed.

Check out my review of We Are Born here.

Rated Titanium.

It's no major revelation that I love Sia Furler. Her music has been in my life for over 2.5 years now and I haven't once been able to fault her, not once. Her voice is so unique and so wonderfully emotive that it's impossible not to fall for her charms. Song like 'Death By Chocolate', 'Clap Your Hands' and 'I'm In Here' are fine examples of why this artist deserves far more credit than she gets. Hopefully, in time people will become more aware of her presence in the music market and everyone will know of her brilliance. At the same time I kind of just want her all to myself.

Anyway, her new song with David Guetta is a great way to break into the mainstream (although I'm not sure how I feel about this move entirely) and thankfully it's a stunning song. Vocals on full throttle and the beats smash behind her in dramatic, club fashion. It's a pretty orgasmic dance floor filler and I cannot wait to get down to this. So excited!

Rated Hafdis Huld - Synchronised Swimmers

The last artist to make me “omg” to myself was Sia Furler, back in 2008 when I first heard her second studio album ‘Some People Have Real Problems’. It was refreshing to find a singer who presents a collection of down tempo love songs and fills them till they overflow with passion and sincerity. Three years on and it’s happening to me again, this time with Icelandic star Hafdis Huld and her second studio release Synchronised Swimmers. This album will revolutionize your ideas of ‘chill-out’, ‘background’ and ‘cutesy’ music. Hafdis’ unique, soft tones are as easily consumed as cotton candy and her brand of female folk pop is brimming with charm.

Far from her days in electro-pop outfit GusGus, where she sounded a bit like Moloko star Roisin Murphy, Hafdis sings her newer material in such a relaxed manner that it tingles the spine. Opener ‘Action Man’ is, potentially, the cutest song you’ll ever have the pleasure of hearing. “Wishing, wishing and wishing away, by my window everyday, while he’s on a mission…” sings Hafdis on a track about a heroic lover and his absence from home. It’s the perfect introduction to an almost purely folk inspired album. ‘Oldest Friend’ continues the nostalgia theme that seems rife here, before the tempo picks up on lead single and Icelandic chart number one ‘Kongulo’ (Icelandic for Spider), which is about the human spider Alain Robert. This quirky source of musical inspiration is reminiscent of Icelandic superstar Bjork’s often odd-sounds and subject matter.

Synchronised Swimmers’ folk charm is continued with the minimalist ‘Boys & Perfume’ and on the mid-tempo title track, which is one of the album’s highlights. A darker moment is ‘I Almost Know a Criminal’, but this step down from chirpy nostalgic moments is minor and short lived, as ‘Robot Robot’ kicks in and Hafdis sings about building herself a lover. Album closer ‘Winter Sun’ is a gorgeous end to an intelligent, interesting and delightful album.

There’s no doubt in my mind that Hafdis Huld has big things coming her way on an international scale. With the recent rush of folk females (Ellie Goulding and Laura Marling are just two examples) on the commercial music scene, the door is already open for Hafdis to stick a toe over the threshold and bring some much-needed luminescence into our lives. 

Rated 10 Day Song Challenge - Day 10

The finale from the week of an intermittent challenge. Oops.

DAY 10

The Fight - Sia

Rated 10 Day Song Challenge - Day 3

DAY 3

Sia - Breathe Me

This song was THE song that seduced me into buying Sia Furler's second album Some People Have Real Problems, which contains one of my favourite songs of all time, 'Death By Chocolate'. Once I had this LP I was hooked and managed to get hold of a free copy (the HMV man forgot to scan it) of Colour the Small One. It was love at first listen once more, just as it was when I popped on her latest effort We Are Born. 


'Breathe Me' is a haunting, mesmerising piece of music. The stripped back, husky vocals backed by the gorgeous arrangement of violins, light percussion and pianos is undeniably perfect. You will already love this or you will now be falling in love with it. Welcome to joy.