the 31 best of 2008 – 13: Sia – Some People Have Real Problems

I don’t know why, but initially, I didn’t get into this album. I listened to it once, even liked it, but I moved on; which I think may have been partly because of all the hype that I saw about it. For a while, you couldn’t go in a Starbucks without seeing something about Sia’s album, Some People Have Real Problemsplastered about, which I think put me off of it for some stupid reason. Months passed, and one day, I decided it was time to give the album another go (after all, I DID like it). After ONE listen, I almost kicked myself; I had been ignoring one of the best records of the year all this time… for no reason! The soul, the emotion, the deep sentiment, the aching melodies; all of it captured my attention on the second go ’round, and I have since realized that I was a fool for forgoing it initially.

There’s something about Sia that I just can’t get enough of… maybe it is her haunting voice, or her ability to twist a heartbreaking melody around such bittersweet lyrics; but whatever it is, Sia is an amazing artist, and this album is epic and beautiful. If you are a fan of down tempo, sullen, achingly beautiful music, then you will love Sia; she exercises all of these qualities in her music. Sia actually reminds me a bit of Rachael Yamagata’s more stripped down stuff, but with a more pop edge to it. This lady from down under is just another example of how there are some GREAT musicians hailing from the land of oz, and I’m just glad that she’s one of the ones that seems to have made a splash on this side of the world (as evidenced by her Starbucks presence earlier this year; even though that worked against me for some weird reason).

The entire album is filled with songs about heartbreak, and the contemplation of what could be in the realm of love. Some of her lyrics are just amazing; like on the track Academia, she sings, “And if I am a number I’m infinity plus one/ And if you are five words you are afraid to be the one/ And if you are a number you’re infinity plus one/ And if I am four words then I am needing of your love”. It’s little touches like this that really make me love her even more, because what can I say… I’m a fan of clever song writing. With her fair share of cleverness, Sia also knows how to tug at your heartstrings with her way of expressing love and longing; both lyrically and in the mood she creates with the music. It’s pretty apparent that she has experienced what she is singing about; and if she hasn’t, she is a damn good actor, because when she is singing, her voice and the way she moans really makes you believe in her words.

Overall, the experience of the album is somewhat heartbreaking, with moments of “pick myself up, and brush myself off” moments peppered amongst the ballads, in order to keep you from completely breaking down. My only complaint, is that it seems to teeter off at the end, almost like it is out of gas, and as such, it only suffers from those last few songs seeming to drag the moment on. With that being said, those last few tracks aren’t necessarily bad, but it just feels like the album maybe should have ended a little sooner than it did (I would have ended it at Soon We’ll Be Found, which is an amazing track).

Sparkle Factor:
Stand Outs: The Girl [audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_208_sia-thegirl.mp3]
Little Black Sandals, Academia, You Have Been Loved, I Go To Sleep.