St. Vincent
Self-Titled
Reviewed by: Stephen Krock
This princess of alternative pop returns on the scene in St. Vincent’s fourth and self-titled album. She joins the ranks of Robyn and Marina & the Diamonds, with a punkish royal promenade of tracks that have the harsh, electronic danceable dissonance of Sleigh Bells. Yet, her spunky, waifish voice, akin to Kate Miller Heidke (without the operatic range), keeps the album from being too rough. Likewise, the production keeps it from being too cute. It’s an agreeable and well-crafted balance. Tracks such as the raucous, untamable “Rattlesnake” belong just as much at a club with a bunch of hipsters head banging and cracking open their PBRs to it as in the background of an ad campaign for Apple’s latest cool new gadget. It’s a sound that the people want to hear. Throwing in her collaboration with the indomitable Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, St. Vincent continues to expand upon an already impressive resume.
St. Vincent manages to be both current and a sample of the future of pop. Nicely done and worth a listen for anyone who is a fan of any of the aforementioned artists. Or of music in general.
Rating: Bad-Ass
