This is brave stuff, even if it is masked in poetry. For someone who has concealed himself behind other monikers and never truly followed up his beloved Space is Only Noise until now, this is a surprising record.
Jaar has been a formidable producer since releasing his earliest singles, but Sirens, more than any other previous release, proves that he is every bit as capable as all the artists mentioned above in creating a true masterpiece.
Sirens is his best record because it's both his most straightforward and most experimental, his densest and lightest. Down to its core, Sirens is a stark record with all the verve of a sweeping opus. It's powerful but ambiguous—neither here nor there, which is where Jaar has been all along.
This auteur strategy extends to his new, second full-length record, the eagerly awaited Sirens, an ambitious and eclectic album that packs tons of ideas into its runtime and manages to pull them all off with a great deal of style. There’s a lot to digest here.
He doesn't reveal many new tricks, but his knowledge of his own palette is masterful in every moment. More poetic and thoughtful than ever before, Jaar maintains an ability to fit seemingly disparate sounds together as if they were always meant to find each other.
Sirens remains immeasurable in terms of style, genre, songwriting, and overall production. Where Space Is Only Noise and side project Darkside were mostly musical thinkpieces, Sirens asks questions of society that develop in cohesion through repeat listens.
‘Sirens’, a record fans have been waiting over half a decade for, is undoubtedly a triumph.
Employing the production deftness that made Space sparkle, Jaar injects each of Sirens' six tracks with equal parts swagger and poignancy.
You don’t have to understand Sirens to enjoy it, and Sirens doesn’t make listeners feel at odds for not understanding it in full either.
Nicolas Jaar experiments with vocals and a lot more on his latest album, Sirens.
The continuous presence of vocals makes it Jaar's most emotional work yet, opening the door to a wider audience.
It’s not terrible album ... but at the end of it you’ll probably find yourself either: a) indifferently bored; b) making bets with yourself on what he’s going to channel next.
Surprisingly a lot more, well, vocal than his other works, "Sirens" is also a bit more accessible than usual... which isn't a bad thing of course! It's a groovy, texturally-fantastic and well-written electronic album that shows Nicolas Jaar is a fearless artist in the way he approaches sound.
Fav Tracks: Three Sides of Nazareth, Killing Time, The Governor, No
Least Fav Track: Leaves
Score:
8.7
Exceptional
I’ve really enjoyed some of his work.
This album however is completely flat and forgettable. I actually bought this before I had any streaming apps… felt doubly pissed that I’d spent money on a dud.
1 | Killing Time 11:14 | 85 |
2 | The Governor 6:49 | 92 |
3 | Leaves 3:29 | 71 |
4 | No 6:34 | 87 |
5 | Three Sides of Nazareth 9:54 | 86 |
6 | History Lesson 3:43 | 80 |
#7 | / | Resident Advisor |
#7 | / | Thump |
#15 | / | The Wild Honey Pie |
#18 | / | Gaffa (Sweden) |
#18 | / | Passion of the Weiss |
#19 | / | Red Bull |
#20 | / | Dazed |
#20 | / | Pitchfork |
#21 | / | PopMatters |
#25 | / | SPIN |