Many music writers and critics out there have been praising Beck this week, some (including our editor-in-chief) saying that his album Morning Phase has the potential to be the best album of the year. While Beck’s album is truly phenomenal, I want to challenge that notion by saying that St. Vincent’s self-titled will be more memorable when end of the year list time comes in December.
It’s only the end of February and there’s probably more good music to come, but St. Vincent is so distinct that it’s easy to forget there’s anything else out there. Miss Vincent (or should I say Miss Clark) has this powerful way of entrancing you into a spell. Her voice is just so mesmerizing and coupled with the funky dance melodies, I was hooked. Really hooked.
Now, I’ve read a lot of reviews on St. Vincent before, during, and after I listened to the album, and a lot of them claimed there was a clear influence from David Byrne, who Clark collaborated with for Love This Giant. I’m not going to refute that at all. “Rattlesnake,” “Prince Johnny,” and the album’s single “Digital Witness” are clear representations of that. I think that coupled with their uniqueness were why these were my favorite tracks on the album. I also absolutely loved “Bring Me Your Love;” it was so effin’ catchy. Lets put it this way: it’s been about 4 or so days since I last listened to this album and I STILL have that song in my head.
There was not one song on this album I disliked, but there were definitely a few that were either too eccentric or bordering the line of forgettable. “Birth in Reverse” was definitely the most bizarre track on this album and I would even argue the strangest track on St. Vincent’s discography overall. The more I listened to song, the dirtier I felt. “I Prefer Your Love” and “Severed Crossed Fingers” were great but they were the two that didn’t captivate me as much as some of the other tracks. They just didn’t have that spark that the other tracks I mentioned above did.
I really hope that anyone who hasn’t heard to this album yet opens up their preferred music streaming service and gives it a listen this weekend. Trust me, you don’t want to miss the ball on this album and St. Vincent’s music in general.
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