Don’t trip: Labrinth, Sia and Diplo blur their colors dull

“LABRINTH, SIA, & DIPLO PRESENT…LSD” (2019), courtesy of Pitchfork

I’m honest when I say that the unity of vocalists Labrinth and Sia and producer Diplo undershot my expectations a little bit. I’m lying if I say I didn’t enjoy their cleverly-named joint effort “LSD” a little bit. There’s a strong chemistry between Labrinth and Sia,    most apparent on the record’s best track “Genius,” wherein the two melodists intertwine on the hook to titular brilliance. It’s a fine show of pop that overstates and understates itself with balance dynamism. There’s a tension that builds between the two — a characteristic absent in most of the record’s other songs. So, where there aren’t great “songs,” so to speak, both vocalists perform spectacularly. Sterile lyrics discourage any sort of attachment to their emotions, however, and while Diplo’s instrumentals can be fun, occasionally, there doesn’t seem any sort of discipline in pairing them with their vocal accompaniments. “Genius” and “Welcome to the Wonderful World of” count as exceptions, and the latter represents what I think I wanted out of this record: a thematic, colorful, union of three separately talented musicians that was equal parts dedicated and playful. Instead, some cuts feel phoned-in, and poorly representative of any true collaboration that DID occur here.

And I’m not splitting hairs when I say that “Genius [Lil Wayne Remix]” should be scrubbed from history. Weezy spirtual-lyrical-miracles his way through threats of intellectual molestation (yikes) and equally painful rhyming of “women lemon complexion.”

RATING: 2.5/5