''Siberia Acoustic'' (alternately stylized as ''Siberia (Acoustic)'') is the second acoustic album recorded by Canadian

electropop Electropop is a popular music fusion genre combining elements of the electronic and pop styles. It has been described as a variant of synth-pop with emphasis on a hard electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a rev ...

artist Lights, featuring acoustic reworkings of songs off her second studio album, ''

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

'' (2011). It was released April 30, 2013 through

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, ...

and

Last Gang Records Last Gang Records is a record label formed by Canadian music industry lawyer Chris Taylor and concert promoter Donald K. Tarlton in the fall of 2003 at the Pop Montreal Music Festival. Last Gang was nominated as Independent Record Label of th ...

. The album was preceded on March 15 by the release of its first and only single, "Cactus in the Valley", which was re-recorded as a duet with American

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that came to prominence in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mos ...

project

Owl City Owl City is an American electronic music project created in 2007 in Owatonna, Minnesota. It is one of several projects by singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Adam Young (American musician), Adam Young, who created the project while exp ...

. Upon its release, ''Siberia Acoustic'' debuted at number seven on the ''Billboard''

Canadian Albums Chart The ''Billboard'' Canadian Albums is the official record chart A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music according to certain criteria during a given ...

and at number 86 on the ''Billboard'' 200, her second-highest peak on either chart at the time. The album received generally positive reviews from contemporary music critics, who found that the acoustic production put emphasis on Lights's songwriting talents but also made the songs less compelling than in their studio renditions.

Critical reception

''Siberia Acoustic'' received mostly positive reviews from contemporary music critics for showcasing her abilities as a singer-songwriter. At

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

, reviewer Matt Collar wrote that "although Lights normally makes electronic pop that often features electric guitars, keyboards, and dance-influenced beats, she is at her core a melodic singer-songwriter. Not surprisingly, many of the songs on Siberia lend themselves to these intimate re-recordings." He rated the album 4 stars out of 5. Brent Faulkner of

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...

responded positively to Lights' vocals on the album ("Lights sounds superb throughout," he writes) but ultimately felt the acoustic soundscape "fails to compel as much" as ''Siberia''′s original production. "All in all," he summarized before delivering a 6/10 rating, "''Siberia Acoustic'' is enjoyable if sometimes bland." Claire Louise Sheridan of ''Alter the Press!'' gave a particularly complimentary review in which she highlights Lights's vocal range and interpretive abilities. "No matter what your previous impressions of Lights may be," writes Sheridan, "cast them aside. ''Siberia Acoustic'' is a truly different experience which allows appreciation of the overwhelming beauty of her talent and thus the true basis of her appeal."

Track listing

Credits and personnel

Credits for ''Siberia Acoustic'' adapted from

. ;Performance credits * All vocals – Lights ** Featured vocals –

(Adam Young),

Max Kerman Arkells is a Canadian rock band, formed in Hamilton, Ontario. In 2006, they signed with Dine Alone Records, and have since signed with Universal Music Canada. They have released nine albums: '' Jackson Square'' (2008), '' Michigan Left'' (2011), ...

Coeur de Pirate Cœur is the French word for heart, and may refer to: * ''Cœurs'', a 2006 French film by Alain Resnais * Cœur (song), "Cœur" (song), a song by Zoé Clauzure which won the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2023 * Coeur (playing cards), a brand of ...

;Instruments * Cello – Kevin Fox * Guitar – Lights * Piano – Lights ;Production *

Engineers Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while consider ...

– Jason Dufour, Stephen Koszler ** Assistant engineers – Arthur Bastos, Jack Clow * Mastering – João Carvalho * Mixer – Jason Dufour * Producer – Lights * Songwriters – Brian Borcherdt, Jason Parsons, Lights Poxleitner, Thomas "Tawgs" Salter, Dave Thomson, Graham Walsh ;Packaging * Creative director – Lights * Designer – Simon Paul * Photographers – Tina Lok, Katie Rodriguez

Charts

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2013 albums Lights (musician) albums Universal Music Group albums Last Gang Records albums