1000 Forms Of Fear

I've loved Sia for years and always thought she didn't get the widespread recognition she deserved: most people don't know her by name but if you say "the girl that sang Titanium" they go "Oh yeah, I loved that song", and well, that's about as much as they know about this gem of a songstress. The video for the first single from this album, Chandelier, has been pulling in the views at almost a million per day since its release and currently stands at over 50 million views. The song has hit top ten status in many countries around the world and has put people on notice--will the rest of the album be able to reach the bar set by "Chandelier"? "1000 Forms Of Fear", from watching many interviews with Sia, seems to be the album she's been working toward for much of the latter part of her career. Whereas her previous labels felt she should refrain from exploring the more "pop-py" side of her talent, she's finally found a label and producer (Greg Kurstin) willing to follow her down the path she's been trying to forge, and fortunately for all involved (and with their support and talent combined with hers), this album shows this path was destined for Sia all along. Sia has described her song-writing as "soul vomit", where she taps into feelings churning deep inside her until they suddenly burst forth and pour into her music. The songs on this album seem to reflect the fears a lot of us have in life, the dark experiences, the struggles with love and loss, exposure and rejection. Songs like the hauntingly beautiful "Straight for the Knife" which warns about the danger of loving a bad boy: you get hurt, but you still feel pulled back in. "Big Girls Cry", with its soaring chorus hits the broken hearted especially hard. "Free The Animal" is a combination of 80s power vocals, 90's electronica, and modern vocal processing, with Sia virtually screaming the chorus with an energy few artists show today. "Cellophane" again tears at the soul with Sia's gifted vocal abilities on full display, her voice cracking with quiet desperation, then powering up into her trademark vibrato and vocal acrobatics, twisting her melodies in ways few other artists can. I think some of the things I most like about Sia is her talent for creating melodies that are both catchy and complex, and a singing style that is ornate without being "showy for the sake of showing off". Very few singers with a voice as good as hers know how to control it as well as Sia can; or are able to pack emotion and sincerity into every lyrical phrase the way that she can. Listening to the lyrics and atmosphere of the songs on this album, you can tell that they've been crafted from pain, love, loss and redemption. There is a large variety of styles represented here, but Sia's vocals and lyrics combined with Greg Kurstin's production weaves a common thread that keeps the various songs tied together. Despite the variety, there's a theme. It feels like we've been in the passenger seat of a wild ride with Sia at the wheel, wrestling a sports car through the twists, turns and canyons of her life. We can sense at times that she's lost control, spun out and nearly wrecked, but here we are at the end, where the last track "Dressed In Black" is the perfect finish. A heavy yet uplifting power ballad about a girl who'd given up on love and life, but finds real love that pulls her out of the blackness and pushes her into the light. With it's extended outro, "Dressed In Black" grants us release from a musical journey that I found touching, exciting, sometimes depressing but in the end hopeful, and gives us a glimpse into the wonderful soul of Sia; and if this album is the reflection of her life in the last few years, I hope that the reaction of the musical community and her new fans (and old!) give her renewed strength to handle the fame and accolades this album will should bring her.

Sia has had an unconventional trajectory. Diagnosed with Graves disease, boyfriend killed in a car accident, addiction to drugs and alcohol, attempted suicide. Plus, she hates fame so much that she poses with a paper bag over her head, and performs with her back facing audiences. Responsible for a plethora of international smashes for some of pop's biggest names, and while working on many other projects, there was still time to produce an own record. As the title and cover art might reveal, Sia goes back to her darker side for this, her 6th studio album, spiralling into destructive depths of weakness, vulnerability, desperation and struggles, all returning points for her. Longtime fans know what to expect from her, new followers are probably curious to learn about the person behind the colossal hits. Perhaps all too aware of what the public wants from her, Sia gives the public exactly what they want. She offers strong and well-produced pop ballads, some uptempo tracks, and the occasional slower numbers, all accompanied with her unique and always impressive voice, the sound of someone singing for their life. She is dabbling with pop, experimenting once again with indie pop, electronica, acid jazz, soul, dance, and trip-hop. Produced by Lily Allen's former collaborator Greg Kurstin, they have sculpted a beautiful masterpiece of an album. Her enrapturing talent and torment shines throughout "1000 Forms of fear"'s 49 minutes. Very often I found myself paying more attention to the lyric metaphors and the dramatic vocals, rather than enjoying the songs. Sia has a certain vibe in her music which, although it cannot be missed, it tends to overshadow the sonic excellence of this album. First single, "Chandelier" is indicative: a gorgeously reggae-electronica fused number about a never ending party life, with Sia's titanic voice bursting open the chorus like a cannonball; a closer reading between the lines makes clear that it is a song about alcoholism. It is obvious that the artist writes genius texts, this is her biggest talent, combined with her distinctive voice. Built around sterling melodies, standouts "Big girls cry", "Straight to the knife", "Elastic heart", "Fire meet gasoline", "Cellophane", and "Dressed in black", they convey emotion that is unmatched by any other contemporary artist. Despite her personal hardship, Sia is able to produce exceptional power balladry and intelligent lyricism. "1000 Forms of fear" rings true to its dramatic title. It is a consistent, brilliant, deep pop record, by one of pop's best artists. After producing so many hits over the years, perhaps one's fear would be Sia's transformation into an mainstream artist. As long as she insists on performing wearing that paper back on her head, there is absolutely no fear of that happening.

Excellent album. It really shows her upper range and her power while still providing "thought provoking" lyrics that make me wish I could see into her mind when the words were put to paper. She stretches her voice and sometimes breaks and that makes me appreciate the feeling of authentisity that the album and her voice give to me from the very beginning. Sia has been one of my favorite artist for 10 years now. I cannot claim to have found her music at it's inception but I have loved her direction and subsequent changes since I found her like so many others with the season ending Down Under. She has a gift for melody and meaning (we all make each song what we want it to be) that is damn near impossible to find in the current atmosphere of cookie cutter artists that are jammed down our collective "listening" throats. Her unique quirkiness is a true representation of her gift of music. When this is combined with her voice.....there is no substitute. None. I can not count the number of songs that I have heard on the radio that not only sounded familiar, but sounded "Sia" only to later learn that these powerful songs were indeed written by her even when I have later read that is was not her style or intention. I often feel that I have been given a gift when I hear a new song either written or "preferably" sung by her. Such talent really is rare in today's music machine industry. Not to sound snooty or privealidged, but I always pay for her music because I believe that artist like her deserve every penny for their effort and creativity. Artist like Sia genuinely work for their money and I'm happy to pay for their creativity and Sia's case, experience, talent and gift.

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A very good album from a very good songwriter of these times. Lyrically, vocally and musically Sia shines on this album. Emotionally honest and stark in the lyrics, you get a sense of a vulnerable soul laid bare. I've had this album on repeat since I got it, and my appreciation grows for her talent on every listen. The lyrics are refreshing and the melodies and vocal twists surprise and delight. Stand out tracks for me are the obvious lead single 'Chandelier' and other's like 'Dressed in Black', 'Big Girls' Cry', 'Burn the Pages', 'Straight for the Knife', 'Fire meets Gasoline'. But this is definitely one of the few albums these days that every track is worth a listen. I would have given this 5 stars but Sia's enunciation makes it very hard sometimes to make out what she says, which hinders your understanding and appreciation of the songs. It's her style and signature, I guess, but makes listening very hard work. Also the production sometimes drowns her out and makes it also difficult to follow the stories she's trying to tell. Otherwise a great album.

I got this for my wife, and once she played it, that was it. She let the whole album run, and it keeps finding its way back on. It’s not just background music, it actually pulls you in. The vocals have real emotion behind them and you can hear it in every song, which is what makes it stick. The writing is strong, the melodies are catchy without feeling forced, and each track brings a different feeling while still flowing together. It ended up being one of those albums that gets played way more than expected.

I remember liking Sia on the "Titanium" track with David Guetta. But I was curious to check out some pop artists, that I have not checked out yet, and Sia came to mind. I mean it's not like I disliked any of her songs on the radio. So this is what I thought of each track. 1. Chandelier - This Is clearly a standout track. It was a single. It just has such a catchy chorus. Then Sia's voice Is incredibly amazing, which for some reason is something I forgot about. 2. Big Girls Cry - I guess this track is okay, but not really a track I listen to. 3. Burn The Pages - This track has a pretty cool beat. But it also has a uplifting meaning to it. Basically she is saying let go of the past, and Don't Let the past control the decisions you make in the present. 4. Eye Of The Needle - I think this is a good track, but I do not play this one as much. 5. Hostage - I like how upbeat this is, but she is hard to understand on the track. 6. Straight For The Knife - This Is a good track. But a pretty sad song, because it talks about a relationship, going sour. This Is the point where the album gets really good though. 7. Fair Game - The Beat is so different and interesting on this track, plus I Love the lyrics. It sounds like she is used to the dating boys and not men. Which from what I hear from good guys (a.k.a., men), girls tend to run away from them. So it is actually great that Sia is willing to stay and put an effort into the relationship. 8. Elastic Heart - This song is great. It has a crazy trap beat in it. Then it also has great lyrics talking about how she is able to be strong and take the pain, but there is a point where the pain builds and she will have a breaking point. I connect to this song so much. 9. Free The Animal - This track is pretty unique, it has some stuttering in it. And I also love how upbeat this track is. 10. Fire Meets Gasoline - This song has a catchy chorus and the lyrics are really relatable. Sometimes you see someone you like and you believe that both of you would be perfect together, but you just wish they would come up to you and express their feelings they may have for you. 11. Cellophane - Another great song, and her voice is like no other voice out there. She shows so much vocal ability on the chorus. And the lyrics are basically about someone who is used to heartbreak, being saved by someone who seems to know exactly how to fix her problems. So she is basically saying she is transparent to this person. It is a positive relationship, which is amazing. 12. Dressed In Black - It is weird because, even though this is a great closer. Lyrically you would think this would be before Cellophane, because she talks about her walls being broken down and letting someone in. But wow that last minute, Sia just sang in full force. Overall I Am pretty impressed with this album. She has a lot of great songs.

This album by Sia is a 5 star masterpiece. But the manufacturing of the vinyl record of this album is so bad, I thought I was reliving the dreadful vinyl manufacturing days of the 70s. Do you long for constant surface noise with punctuated clicks and pops? Then this fantastic trip back in time is for you. If you have no desire to hear what vinyl used to sound like, then buy the cd version of this album. It even sounds more dynamic.

Un disco fantástico. Hay que mejorar el empaquetado. Llego con un pequeño defecto en una esquina.

Très bon album à écouter absolument

Adoro!

Better on cd player tbh

Sia! at first I thought it was some another selena or beyonce or meghan or demi! But Sia is an exceptional singer and her vocal range, just outta this world! this album is an example for it! that too chandelier woo what a song! can't wait for her next album!