Sisyphus
by Sisyphus
Metascore
64

Generally favorable reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
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  1. Drowned In Sound
    Apr 16, 2014
    80
    Sisyphus is almost certainly the greatest hip-hop folk-tinged electronica with a deep techno pop groove record you'll ever hear.
  2. musicOMH.com
    Mar 27, 2014
    80
    Sisyphus is a compositionally superb production that adeptly mixes the members’ unique styles.
  3. The Independent (UK)
    Mar 14, 2014
    80
    Though the elements don’t always hang together, there’s no shortage of intriguing ideas.
  5. DIY Magazine
    Mar 14, 2014
    80
    Sisyphus is easily the boldest project to come from any three of its members, and that’s saying a lot.
  6. New Musical Express (NME)
    Mar 17, 2014
    70
    They produce pretty mutations; their first collaborative record throws up a mix of stuttering electro-rap and ethereal pop.
  7. Clash Music
    Mar 14, 2014
    70
    An ostentatiously operatic tour de force.
  8. Under The Radar
    May 2, 2014
    65
    The finished product is a compelling, atmospheric electro-reflection that playfully blends the three musicians' styles.
  9. The 405
    Mar 14, 2014
    65
    This is a really hard album to try and get in to, but when it does all click, it feels good. Sometimes it's just hard to tell whether the effort you're putting in is being rewarded or not.
  10. Pitchfork
    Apr 3, 2014
    62
    While “Dishes in the Sink” and its companion ballad “Hardly Hanging On” tell a genuinely affecting story of squalor and depression. Despite these peaks, Sisyphus is more fun to ponder than it is to listen to.
  11. Mojo
    Jul 11, 2014
    60
    [The album] features twisty, full-produced beats, but sounds more like a set of disjointed songs than a cohesive album. [Aug 2014, p.96]
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  12. Blurt Magazine
    May 30, 2014
    60
    Sisyphus is ultimately as off the wall a release as you’ll likely encounter this year.
  13. AllMusic
    Apr 1, 2014
    60
    Taken as a musical statement, Sisyphus works fairly well at times, but it's the kind of collaboration no one asked for and much like their mythological Greek king namesake, getting all three artists' styles to gel is a bit like pushing a boulder eternally up a hill.
  14. Record Collector
    Mar 31, 2014
    60
    Fans of any of the artists involved will be satisfied.
  15. Pretty Much Amazing
    Mar 24, 2014
    58
    Taking a hard line against any sort of compromise, Sisyphus is equally amazing, confusing and frustrating.
  16. PopMatters
    Jun 2, 2014
    50
    There are occasional moments of inventiveness, but unfortunately, they are often marred by songs that often feel like they’re going to rend at the seams under the weight of too many ideas.
  17. Consequence
    Mar 17, 2014
    50
    While Sisyphus doesn’t sound like an interminably boring case of forever rolling boulders, it does fail to live up to the talents of its cast.
  18. The Line of Best Fit
    Mar 14, 2014
    40
    Sisyphus is a tragic waste of a vivid storyteller.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 18 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 18
  3. Negative: 0 out of 18
  1. Scooter4849
    Apr 23, 2014
    7
    First off let me say, this album is far from perfect, but still, i can't help but love its boldness for one, and the fun display of justFirst off let me say, this album is far from perfect, but still, i can't help but love its boldness for one, and the fun display of just downright absurdness or weirdness, however you call it. What this album does great is genre blending, seeing as it brings three very different musicians together. It blends these various genres of hip hop and pop together nicely.… Full Review »
  2. TheHague67
    Mar 25, 2014
    4
    Sisyphus is a rebellion. A rebellion against the standard to which many of us die hard Sufjan Stevens fans have come to hold after such aSisyphus is a rebellion. A rebellion against the standard to which many of us die hard Sufjan Stevens fans have come to hold after such a fantastic discography. He was already distracted and obsessive with the sounds of glitch and auto tune within Age of Adz and has far left his folk origins. Though this time he enters into the genre of minimalist and deconstructed hip hop - and primarily only as a compliment. Yet, the core of what hip hop, or dare I say rap, holds in highest esteem, it's beats, are not executed well to any extent. What you're left with is strictly under thought lyrics that sound as if though a previously Christian teenager wishes to upset Mommy and Daddy by over emphasizing his new found appreciation for the F-word. I understand it's important for an artist to "boldly" venture off into differing genres so they don't become "stagnant" or "unimaginative", but it's also very import to stick to what you're good at. I mean, in my honest opinion, I bought the album because it had the name Sufjan Stevens on it, but it certainly didn't hold a candlestick to what Sufjan Stevens used to stand for. I would've been better off buying a Tyler the Creator album. All in all, before this review gets too long, the album is wishy-washy and amateur. Easily reproducible by anybody familiar with garage band software.… Full Review »
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