Sia has been dominating her corner of the music industry for some time now, so it comes as no surprise that her sixth studio album is filled with quality material and innovative pop music. The album, titled 1000 Forms of Fear, is a twelve-track offering released on RCA records, and it's got all the bells and whistles you'd expect from an artist as established as this Aussie is. There's a healthy amount of diversity in the tracklist, and you'd have a hard time finding something to complain about after to listening to her new sound, but the real kicker here is the fact that she's managed to keep her music relevant after all these years. Taking into account the fact that her first official album came out in 1997, it would be easy to write her off as yet another star from yesterday trying desperately to reinvent herself and reinvigorate her brand, but that's simply not the case with Sia here, as all of the music on the album comes across as 100% authentic and 100% in sync with the current pop music climate. Oftentimes (and perhaps unfairly so), when established stars come out with new material that sounds like what the kids are making, it feels as if the new direction was cooked up in a record label board room by marketing executives desperate to squeeze a couple more miles out of the artist's revenue stream. It's no fun once you realize that's what's going on, and it's getting easier and easier to sniff out. That being said, though, you won't smell a whiff of the shenanigans here, and all you need to do to allay any fears you might have to the contrary is listen to tracks like "Elastic Heart" and "Cellophane". Yeah, they're not exactly what we'd call "cutting edge", but we'll defend her ability to marry widespread appeal with innovative production techniques any day of the week. According to Billboard, Sia has co-written ten Billboard-certified hit singles and is responsible for over twelve million track sales to date, so it's no surprise that this album is a quality offering. She's a veteran of the recording process and has a lot of tools in her tool belt, and it shows with 1000 Forms of Fear. When looking at the album in its entirety, you'll notice Sia was able to perfectly nail the epic sounds she was trying to cultivate when putting together the song roster. "Chandelier" is a perfect example of this, and when you listen to it all the way through, the expansive vocals and orchestral elements make her music truly memorable, whether you're already a fan of her or not. We've highlighted a few of the strongest tracks from 1000 below, but don't pass up the opportunity to listen to the whole thing from start to finish if you get the chance. It's an impressive body of music worth all the time it takes to listen to it. 1000 Forms of Fear is available on iTunes.
Sia