release date: Oct. 13, 2017
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,06]
producer: Jack Antonoff and St. Vincent
label: Loma Vista - nationality: USA
Track highlights: 1. "Hang on Me" - 2. "Pills" - 3. "Masseduction" - 5. "Los Ageless" (live) - 7. "Saviour" (live) - 8. "New York" - 9. "Fear the Future"
[ live solo and acoustic on KEXP ]
5th studio album by St. Vincent co-produced by John Congleton and with Lars Stalfors.
With this, Annie Clark establishes herself as a purer art pop artist than on her previous releases. The noise pop attitudes are more low-key - bits are found here and there but the dominating picture is one of restrained originality taking a move as to embrace both earlier fans of her experimental and progressive rock as well a more recent audience who found her St. Vincent album more digestible. It's her most dance-able release so far and several tracks are touching synthpop meets electropop glued together with a glam rock attitude. But as with her previous albums this is truly a conglomerate of styles.
The album harvested fine reviews and it has become her best selling album to date reaching number #10 on the Billboard 200 in the US and number #6 in the UK. It ended high up on many year-end lists including a first spot on lists by the New York Times and The Guardian.
Musically, she has moved into the spotlight and I think it shows very much in her professional attitude. Earlier she contained and reflected a vulnerability that has been disguised by now. Sometimes I cannot stop thinking of her as an American PJ Harvey. She has the same directness, sexual awareness and a link to a Patti Smith / Janis Joplin-strong-women-of-rock-personality. It's also clear that her new-found (glamorous) image is far from her earlier open-hearted appearance (just watch some of her live performances).
I find this her most cohesive album so far and it appears as a true conceptual album with "Pills" and "Los Ageless" as my immediate favourites but also the title track and "New York" are fine songs, and where her previous works nearly all contained hits and misses this one keeps a high quality throughout, and that's ultimately why it's such a fascinating ride.
In a year with few truly great releases, I find this the most gripping.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, The Guardian, NME, Rolling Stone 4 / 5 stars ]
2017 Favourite releases: 1. St. Vincent Masseduction - 2. Paul Weller A Kind of Revolution - 3. Love Shop Risiko
