Orpheus vs. the Sirens

Orpheus vs. the Sirens is a studio album by Brownsville rapper Kaseem "Ka" Ryan and Los Angeles producer Willis "Animoss" Williams together known as Hermit and the Recluse. It was released on August 18, 2018 via Obol for Charon Records. Recording sessions took place at Seaside Lounge in Brooklyn. Production was handled entirely by Animoss. It features sole guest appearance from Citizen Cope.

Orpheus vs. the Sirens
Studio album by Hermit and the Recluse
Released	August 18, 2018
Studio	Seaside Lounge (Brooklyn, NY)
Genre	Abstract hip hop
Length	32:42
Label	Obol for Charon
Producer	Animoss
Ka chronology
Honor Killed the Samurai (2016) Orpheus vs. the Sirens (2018) Descendants of Cain (2020)

The album was promoted by three music videos: "Sirens", directed by Alina Popescu, "Argo" and "Oedipus", both directed by Animoss and Ka.[1]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Exclaim!	8/10[2]
Pitchfork	8/10[3]
RapReviews	8.5/10[4]
Tiny Mix Tapes	[5]

Orpheus vs. the Sirens was met with generally favorable reviews from critics. At Album of the Year, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 83 based on four reviews.[6]

Evan Coral of Tiny Mix Tapes said, "The self-mythologizing that Ka composes on Orpheus vs. the Sirens constitutes a minoritarian epic that resounds with the properly poetic catharsis that might purge the constraints from a life’s definition".[5] Torii MacAdams of Pitchfork said, "In a twist, the Brownsville rapper projects the streetwise narratives of his youth through the lens of Greek mythology—an audacious move, but his hypnotic voice and evocative writing pull it off".[3] M.T. Richards of Exclaim! said, "Ka's music will be a tough sell for hip-hop fans accustomed to baroque maximalism. Orpheus vs. the Sirens is almost confrontationally intimate; long stretches pass without any percussion at all".[2]

Accolades

Publication	List	Rank	Ref.
Passion of the Weiss	The POW Best Albums of 2018	19	[7]
The 405	The 405's Top 50 Albums of 2018	13	[8]
Tiny Mix Tapes	2018: Favorite 50 Music Releases	43	[9]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Kaseem Ryan, except track 8 written with Clarence Greenwood.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Sirens"	3:14
2.	"Fate"	3:08
3.	"Orpheus"	4:20
4.	"Atlas"	2:56
5.	"Argo"	3:26
6.	"Golden Fleece"	2:22
7.	"The Punishment of Sisyphus"	3:23
8.	"Hades" (featuring Citizen Cope)	3:17
9.	"Oedipus"	3:46
10.	"Companion of Artemis"	2:50
Total length:		32:42

Personnel

• Kaseem "Ka" Ryan – vocals
• Willis "Animoss" Williams – producer
• Clarence Greenwood – featured artist (track 8)
• Chris Pummill – recording
• Charles Scott Harding – mixing
• CandIdo Casillas – additional ProTools editing
• Michael Fossenkemper – mastering
• JJ Golden – lacquer cut
• Mark Shaw – design

References

1. Ryan, Kaseem. "Hermit & The Recluse - Orpheus Vs. The Sirens - YouTube". YouTube. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
2. Richards, M.T. (August 29, 2018). "Hermit and the Recluse Orpheus vs. the Sirens". Exclaim!. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
3. MacAdams, Torii (August 23, 2018). "Hermit and the Recluse: Orpheus vs. the Sirens". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
4. Taylor, Patrick (January 15, 2019). "Hermit and the Recluse :: Orpheus Vs. the Sirens – RapReviews". www.rapreviews.com. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
5. Coral, Evan. "Music Review: Hermit and the Recluse - Orpheus vs. the Sirens". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
7. Ma, David (December 24, 2018). "The POW Best Albums of 2018". www.passionweiss.com. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
8. "The 405's Top 50 Albums of 2018". Album of the Year. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
9. Slump, Cirrus (December 17, 2018). "2018: Favorite 50 Music Releases". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved August 18, 2020.

External links

• Orpheus vs. The Sirens at Discogs (list of releases)