"Chandelier" is a song so fabulous, it's not only Sia's best song to date, but quite possibly the best overall song of 2014. It's a cleverly subversive pop song that disguises its somber, achingly autobiographical lyrics with an upbeat, trap-and-reggae-infused pop instrumentation. Sia's lyrics about her addiction to alcohol and pills, filtered through a party atmosphere are poignant and effective, and totally brought to life with her incredible rhythm and ceiling-scraping range. It's, honestly, a surprise hit in a year of lackluster pop duds; Robin Thicke's unsettling creepy stalker album Paula tanked (with fewer than 54 sold in Australia!), Pharrell's newest album released to tepid reviews, and no album has yet to top Frozen's soundtrack in sales... even though it came out in late 2013. So, "Chandelier" is a lungfull of fresh air in a year desperately needing it, and obviously the song had therapeutic value to Sia as well.

Indeed, "Chandelier" showed the superb highs Sia could reach going full pop; Sia's previous releases only teased influence from the pop sphere, and had a transition from her original trip-hop style (OnlySee, Healing is Difficult) to an alt-pop one (Colour the Small One, Some People Have Real Problems). Since Real Problems saw release in 2008, she candidly made a career out of ghostwriting hits for more successful artists, including Rihanna, Katy Perry, and Beyonce, and after the surprise success of David Guetta's "Titanium", with her guest vocals, likely realized now is the time to market herself as a solo artist once more. Naturally, going pop was the way to go; unfortunately, 1000 Forms of Fear as a whole confirms the reservations her fans had about the change in the first place. It's a middling, seen-it-a-million-times, great-single-boring-album affair. With a handful of exceptions, the entire thing just reeks of mediocrity, from its run-of-the-mill production choices to even its lyrical themes and singing, which is the ultimate gut punch. Sia is nowhere near this average a pop star as many know, and the blandness at display here is the musical equivalent of trying to shove a cube into
a circular hole.

The motivation behind the stylistic change is understandable, and the lead single was fabulous. So, what went wrong? "Elastic Heart", a song first seem on the Hunger Games: Catching Fire soundtrack, along with runner up official single "Eye of the Needle" are two sides of the same problematic coin, showing that despite the variety of pop songcraft here, a lack of Sia's trademark quirk strips potentially good songs of their likability. "Elastic Heart" goes a similar route to "Chandelier", featuring an electronic/trap stuttering beat, and Sia similarly attempts to sing beyond her register. However, the melodies she works with, especially on the completely non-notable chorus, leaves this song stuck in the middle of the road. "Eye of the Needle" goes the other way with a pop ballad, but the same problems show up - there is nothing memorable here. The most memorable and catchy ballad of all time, "Nothing Compares 2 U", for example, is how you do this right with its soaring vocals, minimal but effective instrumentation, and utterly depressing lyrics. Sinéad O'Connor may have a flat-out better singing voice than Sia, but that's beside the point; all of the inspiration and lyrical depth were apparently depleted from "Chandelier", and the rest of 1000 Forms of Fear was churned out by just going through the motions, contrary to what Sia supposedly stands for.

Sia's respectable decision to minimize press interactions, hide her face, and not tour, as stipulated in her contract, was smart from a marketing standpoint, as despite her languishing album, this (lack of) PR brings more attention to 1000 Ways to D- I mean, Forms of Fear, without the topic of discussion extended beyond "Chandelier" to the rest of the music. Not to say I think it's a bad album, as there are some moments of inspiration on tracks like "Cellophane" and "Fire Meet Gasoline", but that's just what they are: moments. Beyond the pop masterwork that is "Chandelier", the rest is almost pointless and almost ALMOST takes away from "Chandelier" in its sheer mediocrity. Almost. But it doesn't. Because Chandelier is fucking great. Maybe Sia needs to be overcoming personal demons for her best work to be made. So, for our sake, let's hope she falls off the wagon so we can get a "Chandelier" 2.

Nah, I'm not that big of an asshole. It's possible Sia just flourishes behind the scenes rather than in front of them, hiding her face.