| Sirens | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 7 June 2019 | |||
| Length | 61:00 | |||
| Label | Room40 | |||
| Producer | Kevin Richard Martin | |||
| Kevin Richard Martin chronology | ||||
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Sirens is a solo studio album by English musician Kevin Richard Martin. It was released on 7 June 2019 through Room40. [1] It received universal acclaim from critics. [2]
Sirens is Kevin Richard Martin's first studio album under his real name. [3] He has also released his solo music under the pseudonym The Bug. [4] Sirens draws inspiration from his wife's emergency procedures during the birth and two life-threatening operations for his son. [5] The album originates from a 2015 live performance at the CTM Festival. [3] Lawrence English saw the performance and asked to release the work on his record label Room40. [3]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 82/100 [2] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Exclaim! | 8/10 [6] |
| Pitchfork | 7.4/10 [7] |
| PopMatters | 8/10 [8] |
| Resident Advisor | 3.9/5 [9] |
| Spectrum Culture | 3.75/5 [10] |
According to the review aggregator Metacritic , Sirens received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 82 out of 100 from 7 critic scores. [2]
Euan Andrews of The Quietus called the album "a dense and weighty work of art which examines the areas between life and death in which we shall all find ourselves." [11] He added, "Kevin Richard Martin is making music about subject matters almost wilfully unconsidered by many due to the sheer terrors represented within their everyday realities." [11] Daniel Bromfield of PopMatters commented that "It feels perverse to enjoy an album about a man's real trauma as a thrill-ride, but Sirens comes out as one of the most beguiling and frightening works of domestic horror ever committed to record." [8] Ben Cardew of Pitchfork stated, "It is both abstract and primal, the recorded equivalent of a panicky feeling in the gut; its moments of staggering dark intensity bring to mind the nameless dread of the best horror soundtracks." [7]
All tracks are written by Kevin Richard Martin.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "There Is a Problem" | 2:02 |
| 2. | "Bad Dream" | 5:38 |
| 3. | "After the Party" | 3:21 |
| 4. | "Life Threatening Operation 2" | 10:48 |
| 5. | "Alarms" | 2:52 |
| 6. | "Too Much" | 4:09 |
| 7. | "The Surgeon" | 2:49 |
| 8. | "Mechanical Chatter in the I.C.U." | 3:35 |
| 9. | "Kangaroo Care" | 3:24 |
| 10. | "The Deepest Fear" | 2:31 |
| 11. | "Necrosis" | 7:49 |
| 12. | "Loss of Consciousness" | 3:26 |
| 13. | "Finalling" | 2:18 |
| 14. | "A Bright Future" | 5:31 |
| Total length: | 61:00 | |
Credits adapted from liner notes. [12]