St. Vincent - St. Vincent

St. Vincent released an album by St. Vincent. That sounds obvious, but considering the hype (and new hair color), I was hoping for something else. Having now gotten my negative jimmies out of my system, I can say this album is still pretty great.

One thing I am annoyingly famous for saying is "St. Vincent is better live than on record." The reason for this is this woman can fucking shred on the guitar and her soft-at-times, always-desperate voice couples really well with her guitar tone. On record, her guitar typically loses some edge, and her voice is often multi-tracked, giving it an unwelcome sheen and watering down her rawness. On St. Vincent, there are moments where the sheen rubs away and we are left with glimpses of what could be, and still others where the glossy production really works well for the song. On "Digital Witness", there is a studio feel to the song that adds to the chaotic feel and funk of the song. On "Rattlesnake", however, the plastic vocals and the filtered guitars don't enhance the song in the same way.

My favorite song on the album is easily "Price Johnny". Annie's voice sounds live and vibrant, and the guitar has a bluesy groove that I wish she would implement more often. "Digital Witness" is a close second, and features a chorus that will be hard to get out of my head in the coming days.

The video for "Digital Witness" is also excellent. Check it out below.