s/s/s is the collaboration of three artists - Son Lux, Serengeti, and Sufjan Stevens. Five or more years ago I would have never thought to put Stevens and anticon. together, but given the musical directions the label and Stevens have taken in recent years, they’re not as far apart as they once were. That said, this EP still makes for a very unique record, and a very interesting blending of sounds, from the orchestral folk-pop background of Stevens, the wry, sarcastic delivery of Serengeti’s rhymes, and the bedroom ambiance of Son Lux’s production. The three “S” artists find some unconventional musical meeting points, and the result is one of the most ambitious four-song EPs you’re going to hear.

I’ll be honest - it took me a couple tries to get past the first minute or so of the first track, “Museum Day.” Maybe I’m just too burnt out on Auto-Tune to enjoy it, but it just seemed a bit too drawn out and derivative of ubiquitous pop/R&B of today for me to enjoy it. However, once I got past the intro, I quickly became fascinated with how the rest of the song unfolded. What makes this EP truly special is how each artist gets a chance to shine. There are definitely moments when the performance of Serengeti as emcee takes center stage, and as well he should - his dense, wry, sarcastic lyrics often give way to a deeper emotional truth that can cut right through you before you realize what’s happening. At other moments, the music will give way to Stevens’ vocals, and his arrangements and melodic and choral lines sometime come in subtly to change the tone of the song, yet other times will hit you like a ton of bricks. This really becomes apparent on “Beyond Any Doubt,” when the song breaks down and his vocals come in, only to build the song back up and create a really interesting interplay with Serengeti. Drawing everything together is the production of Son Lux, who manages to cross through musical genres with the greatest of ease, weaving together hip hop, electronic, indie rock, folk, R&B, jazz, into a sound that even stands apart from his previous efforts. I think the most interesting success comes on “If This Is Real,” which also brings in the vocals of Shara Worden from My Brightest Diamond. Lux does a great job of taking her vocals and chopping them up, like he was remixing an old jazz vocal record to make a new chorus, all while Serengeti weaves together a really interesting narrative about the turning points in personal relationships and growing older. “Octomom” ends the EP on it’s weirdest note, with it’s strange subject matter delivered spoken-word style by Serengeti, which then gives way to an Hot Chip-style refrain of “I had the night of my life!” It magically all comes together, though, and by the end of the song, I’ll be damned if I’m not singing along and bobbing my head.

I can’t say I would have picked these three “S” artists to work together, but I’m glad they found each other. They come together in a way that manages to mix all three of their styles into something completely unique and challenging, while remaining accesible. It’s not often that I can refer to a four-song EP as epic, but s/s/s has managed to do just that with Beak & Claw.