Sia
1000 Forms of Fear

Sia's career is one of the most paradoxical in recent pop history: a successful songwriter for artists like Rihanna and Katy Perry, when she works for herself, she doesn't achieve the same accolades. The only two radio hits bearing her name among the performers are her two duets with David Guetta, "Titanium" and "She Wolf". With hopes to join the pop elite this time as a singer, the Australian artist is set to release her sixth work.

Unfortunately, "1000 Forms of Fear" proves inadequate for this goal. The debut single "Chandelier" perfectly represents this album: a chandelier swinging left and right, with success on one side and total flop on the other. "Chandelier" leans more towards the former, thanks mainly to a chorus filled with beautifully executed high notes and a solid melodic foundation that supports Furler's distinctive voice. Similarly, "Big Girls Cry", another ballad, is more nostalgic and catchy, and much more respectful of the traditional canons of modern pop. "Burn the Pages" is a more electronic track than the previous two, yet it stands out with a catchy melody reminiscent of Katy Perry's tunes. "Eye of the Needle" is a flat song, the worst heard so far (though not of the entire album), suffering from an excessive and dissonant calmness compared to its base. As you continue listening to "1000 Forms of Fear", you'll find it almost impossible not to be taken aback by the first notes of "Hostage", a piece leaning towards alternative rock which, despite Sia's voice being somewhat uncomfortable with this type of sound, manages to be a cheerful and satisfying highlight within the work. The enthusiasm is broken by the next track "Straight for the Knife"; the track wouldn't be bad if it were sung by any Lana Del Rey, so much so that the comparison with the sounds of her "Born to Die" leads to embarrassment. The problem is that Sia's voice is not that of the New Yorker, and this makes the piece decidedly bland, devoid of any point of interest, and boring. "Fair Game" begins with all the pretenses of a song expected to explode after the chorus, but what was supposed to become a powerful track on the level of "Hostage" turns into a soporific song that only finds support in the almost psychedelic break, completely out of place, with the drums.

A perfectly forgettable song, but there's no end to the worse, and not even time to recover, here's from the relentless lullaby of "Fair Game" we move to the boredom of "Elastic Heart," whose introduction spells trouble, with a peculiarity that doesn't hit as it should and a chorus that between back vocals and the ever-present robotic voice exudes Chaos from all pores. "Free the Animal" and "Fire Meet Gasoline" bring the album back to acceptable levels with appropriate melodies and valid refrains. Of the latter song, the similarity to "Chandelier" is notable, as if the starting point to build it was indeed the first single extracted from this effort. "Cellophane" is another bypassable song, flirting with indie pop and featuring a very particular chorus, but it doesn't stand out at all, falling short of expectations. The album concludes with "Dressed in Black," a beautiful track which, however, has the flaw of being too lengthy (six minutes and forty, with the chorus repeating continuously for the last three minutes) and becomes tiring over time. We cast a veil of pity over the songwriting, which should have been, for an artist like Sia, the strength of the work, but instead demonstrates how even she has run out of ideas, having given them away to others. The only noteworthy song from this aspect is "Chandelier," which indeed is the best piece of the lot. All the other tracks are forgettable lyrically, with particular mention of "Elastic Heart," which even from the title alone hints at the lack of ideas that reached Furler during the songwriting phase of this album.

Like all chandeliers when they stop swinging, at the end of listening to "1000 Forms of Fear," it settles neither on the side of success nor on that of flop, but exactly in the middle. It is a perfect album in its mediocrity, a failure in aspiring to success. Needless to say, Sia should try again, but she now seems destined to be a successful songwriter and keep the leftovers for herself to make albums, hoping one day someone would think to play one of her singles on the radio and make it a hit. The Australian claims to be against success, but deep down even she, like all singers and not only them, dreams of seeing one of her pieces at number one on charts worldwide. It is not known if a future pop star could emerge from that faceless bob, but the fact is that six albums and thirty-nine years are figures beginning to weigh quite heavily, and "1000 Forms of Fear" neither guarantees nor dares to make a step forward.