Rating: NNNN
Annie Clark, aka St. Vincent, is an astounding electric guitarist, yet on her absorbing third album she never puts her mastery of the instrument ahead of a great song. Instead, the Manhattan-based multi-instrumentalist uses it – along with bits of synth, drums, violin, sax and woodwinds – to enhance, punctuate and unfurl breathtakingly original compositions.
The tunes are lean, focused and catchier than those on past albums, largely forgoing the orchestral arrangements that earned her “chamber rock” categorization. First single Cruel has instant appeal, with a distorted disco beat that brings to mind Daft Punk, while genre-blurring Cheerleader and Surgeon, both ultra-hummable, offer up chilling lyrics and images that stay with you.
Clark dials down the pop in the album’s latter half, opting for quieter, more impressionistic slow-burners that reveal her sonic experimentalism. Also great? Her sultry voice, which she takes to higher registers than ever before while delivering carefully measured lyrics that teeter between joy and despair.
Top track: Cruel
