Michael (Les Sins album)

Michael
Studio album by Les Sins
Released	November 4, 2014 (2014-11-04)
Studio	Chaz Bear's home studio
Genre	Electronic
Length	40:09
Label	Company Records
Chaz Bear chronology
Anything in Return (2013) Michael (2014) What For? (2015)

Michael is a 2014 album by American musician Chaz Bear under the name Les Sins. All albums by Bear prior to the release of Michael were under the stage name Toro y Moi. ^[1] The album is almost entirely instrumental, with only one song, "Why," having guest vocals from Nate Salman. ^{[2] [3]}

Background

On the Bandcamp page for Les Sins, it states that Michael was inspired "by cartoon and movie soundtracks" as well as "house, techno, French electronic, and ’90s hip-hop production." ^{[4] [5]} Bear began producing the album after a slight burnout of doing R&B-style songs; the album took two years to produce. ^[6]

Critical reception

Upon release, Michael received positive reviews. The largest publication to review the album, Pitchfork, gave the album a 6.6 out of 10, stating that the album "finds [Bear] turning away from his thin, genial voice and natural melodic gifts, choosing instead to embrace rhythm and lean, shadowy beat construction." ^[7]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Pitchfork	6.6/10 [8]
AllMusic	[9]
The Early Registration	7/10 [10]
The Line of Best Fit	8.5/10 [11]
Spectrum Culture	3.75/5 [12]
MusicOMH	[13]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Chaz Bear.

Michael track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Talk About"	3:54
2.	"Past"	2:33
3.	"Toy"	4:00
4.	"Why" (featuring Nate Salman)	4:03
5.	"Bother"	3:44
6.	"Minato"	3:44
7.	"Bellow"	4:22
8.	"Sticky"	3:35
9.	"Call"	3:34
10.	"Drop"	3:04
11.	"Do Right"	3:29
Total length:		40:09

References

1. "First Listen: Les Sins, 'Michael'". NPR. Retrieved April 3, 2025.
2. "That Music Magazine » Les Sins, Michael" . Retrieved April 3, 2025.
3. "Les Sins - Michael". DIY. November 7, 2014. Retrieved April 3, 2025.
4. "Michael, by Les Sins". Les Sins. Retrieved April 3, 2025.
5. "Les Sins: Michael". Victrola. Retrieved April 3, 2025.
6. "Album Of The Week: Les Sins Michael". Stereogum. November 4, 2014. Retrieved April 3, 2025.
7. Cox, Jamieson. "Les Sins: Michael". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 3, 2025.
8. Cox, Jamieson (November 12, 2014). "Les Sins: Michael Album Review". Pitchfork . Retrieved March 17, 2025.
9. Sendra, Tim (November 4, 2014). "Michael - Les Sins". AllMusic . Retrieved April 2, 2025.
10. "Album Review: Michael | Les Sins". The Early Registration. November 4, 2014. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
11. Travers, Kate (October 27, 2014). "Les Sins - Michael". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
12. Randall, Mike (November 10, 2014). "Les Sins: Michael - Album Review". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
13. Monk, Christopher (November 3, 2014). "Les Sins – Michael". MusicOMH . Retrieved April 2, 2025.