BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
Every so often I’ll take a few hours away from life and try to broaden my musical horizons. The way I do this is to find an artist I’m not familiar with for whatever reason and listen to their entire studio discography. Sometimes I come across and iconic band I was never exposed to like a Simon and Garfunkel or The Pixies and other times I take in a newer band like In This Moment or Kings of Leon. Maybe I avoided a band, maybe I just never had the time to listen, and maybe I never heard of them. Regardless, if they have three to six studio albums I’ll take a chance. Sometimes it sucks and I want to shoot my speakers by song two of the first album of five and other times I’m delighted by awesome new noise candy to fatten up my love of music. Most music critics and blog writers embrace the bad so they can get in their snarky comments and hate on something. That’s NOT what I’m looking for, but it does happen. I don’t want to waste my time hating something and would rather be objective and hopefully appreciate something new. That said, if it sucks it’s sucks. I won’t sugar coat it and will find ways to amuse myself.
Why St. Vincent?
Why Not St. Vincent? I keep seeing the name pop up in reviews and in magazines. I remember first seeing the name a few years back, but as far as I know I never crossed paths with this music. There is a good chance I’ve heard a song or two and just didn’t know. Regardless, I’m going into this with a completely clean palate. I’m under the impression that I’ll be listening to artsty moody dark music, but I could be completely wrong. There are five albums so I’m not exactly hoping for music I DON’T like. I’d love to add a new artist to my musical lexicon so I’m optimistic. Let’s jump right in…
Marry Me
(2007 – 50 minutes) - The album starts off with “Now Now”. Off the bat my ears are assaulted with melody and beauty. It doesn’t waste any time jumping right into the music. It’s a synthy and delicate groover that features really straight forward vocals that are somewhere in between Regina Spektor and Amanda Palmer. It’s not them though; it’s clearly its own thing. It’s almost talking, but with a bit of melodic bounce to it. This is already NOT what I expected. I like it. I had no problem being pulled into the music. It’s a really smart album. The lyrics are pretty genius and the music is layered in such a way that it’s hard to skip through the album. You just HAVE TO take in everything your ears are being given. The change ups are spectacular. To fresh ears it’s almost jarring because you don’t know where you’re being led next. That is very refreshing. In a world of predicable unpredictability, this is the genuine article. Tracks like “Jesus Saves, I Spend”, “Your Lips Are Red” and “Human Racing” are witty and snappy. They provide so many “Oh snap! That’s some good shit!” moments that it’s hard to really express it. She really shows off her voice in all of the songs, but the slow burning “Marry Me” is almost a lullaby for any possible anger inside me. It just subdues any negativity in the soul. The same is said for “All My Stars Aligned”. It’s almost as if Adele got into a fist fight with the devil and sang about her obvious victory. I read other critics make Bowie comparisons. I respected their opinion and loved the music, but I didn’t really hear it until “Apocalypse Song”. Oh man, it’s a great song. Her voice is outstanding and the music really spotlights that for her. The base in the music, tone, and voice on “Paris Is Burning” is what I’d expect to hear from a lounge act in coolest night club never. It makes me want to drink and I’m not a big drinker. The album is gripping from start to finish. It doesn’t fuck around with any filler. The closer “What Me Worry” drifts afloat like a pair of swanky lovers in a row boat during a really nice day. I’m sad I didn’t know of St. Vincent’s brilliance earlier. I really dug this album. It’s hard to describe with words other than “fucking great”. It’s going to be hard to top this or even evolve from it on the same level. A lot of artists put out really inspired and great debuts and then start to sound more polished and commercialized. I really hope that’s not the direction St. Vincent takes. Regardless, I’m going to appreciate this album for what it is and listen to it A LOT more in the future. One can only hope the follow up carries the same torch.
Actor
(2009 – 39 minutes) - The sophomore album is a whole new beast. It DOES carry the same “torch” as the debut, but it’s more majestic and grander. It doesn’t stray into any cutesy or poppy direction. It skips and struts forward toward the happiest black eye possible. It abuses your senses, but when asked you just tell your friends you walked into a door because deep down you want more. That’s what happens here. “The Strangers” is similar to the first album, but breaks off into both darker and more soothing areas at the same time. So basically, it’s a mind fuck of a good time. “Black Rainbow” is one of a few songs on the album that feels like a Disney soundtrack song taken in all the wrong directions, thankfully. The music is brilliant and the tone is so different that it’s very complimentary. It’s an enigma of audible enjoyment. It’s hard to not LOVE the music and to smile at the lyrics, but this shit is chaos. It’s as if it’s a track from the villain of a kids movie except it’s the last genuine smile the villain has before going completely nuts and trying to kill Simba or every single one of the 101 Dalmatians. The chaos of this album is apparent. Tracks like “Save Me From What I Want”, “Marrow”, and “Laughing With A Mouth Of Blood” give us the beautiful vocals of St. Vincent, but the music pulls and pushes you into the middle of your own mind. These songs put me into a trance of elation. “The Bed” is a slow and daunting song. I didn’t even want to breath all that much while listening because I felt like the song would stop and the musicians in my head would look at me with a “why are you listening to this private song” type of thing. Basically, if Peewee Herman walked into a goth orchestra bar instead of a biker bar in “Big Adventure”. “The Party” and “Just The Same But Brand New” is in the same ballpark, but with less restraint on the whole breathing thing. To change things up a little, “Actor Out of Work” is danceable and hard to not air drum to. It’s not trying to be silly or anything, but it’s the most fun of the tracks I’ve heard so far. The funkiest track, however, easily goes to “Marrow”. I found myself dancing in my desk chair. The industrial breaks really remind me of what I used to love about bands like Nine Inch Nails. There is a sense of humanity to the grizzled groove. Easily my favorite song thus far. This was a very solid second album and gives me a bit more confidence in the direction this awesome artist will take in the next few albums. The first LP was more captivating, while this album was more of a journey. I like where this is going. Hopefully my optimism train isn’t derailed.
Strange Mercy
(2011 – 41 minutes) - The third album up is a more conventional album in terms of delivery, but the tone seems way more angry and aggressive. “Chloe In The Afternoon” has a deeper electronic feel to it as there is more of a sonic “awe” within the music. The vocals sound good and the music is like jazz industrial. I like it a lot. The lyrics are a tad hokey. They’re witty, but lack the quirk of the earlier stuff. That’s not a good thing or a bad thing. It’s just a thing. A thing I can honestly get into. It’s getting closer to the music style I traditionally patronize and support. “Cruel” feels like a song I’ve heard before. I didn’t even have to look to know this was a single. I was right. There is even a music video for it. It’s just a polished tune that has a more traditional structure. Well, as “traditional” as this weird mad genius will go. The synth and bounce of the sound remind me a bit of Talking Heads. Not a bad comparison in the least bit. “Cheerleader” is haunting. Lines like “I’ve had good times with bad guys” are slowly sung at us as brooding beauty lurks underneath with the music and then BOOM! The song kicks in gear and the thuds dominate your soul. The song changes back up to lurking beauty and thuds again. It’s a bad ass song. The music dominates on “Surgeon” too. It’s a trippy tune. The synth and break down is ridiculously sick. Mind. Blown. There is some stuff you just shrug at, smile, and take in. “Northern Lights”, “Strange Mercy”, “Neutered Fruit”, and the closer “Year Of The Tiger” are cool songs. They don’t quite hit the same spots as other St. Vincent songs I’ve taken in so far, but they are really enjoyable jams. “Dilettante” is more comparable to the first two albums. It’s an awe-inspired tip-toer that gets a big dose of electricity as it goes on. It’s a sweet song, but the breakdown at the end is the highlight for me. I don’t know if it would be if the rest of the song did’t take me there. “Hysterical Strength” feels like it’d be another single too. It has weird up-tempo start that drops into a grizzly vocal pop-rock song. It’s not “pop” or “commercial” by normal standards, but it’s definitely “clean” and probably one of the most accessible songs of the St. Vincent collection thus far. The best song on this album is most definitely the haunting “Champagne Year”. It’s a stripped down stumbler that is complimented nicely by easing and calming vocals. The composition builds up to feel almost of what would be the perfect day dream. It’s less than 3 and a half minutes, but I wish it would have been at least five. It fades out and leaves you reaching for more. This was another really good album. It’s not on par with the first two, but I enjoy what this album is. It’s not quite like the other albums, but it’s just louder and crisper. It’s more aggressive and abrasive, but still balanced the beautiful voice that I’ve started to really dig. I’m really curious about this next one.
Love This Giant (w/David Byrne)
(2012 – 45 minutes) - This is a collaboration album where St. Vincent joins forces with David Byrne. If you’re a creative indie rocker and going to collaborate with someone he’s the guy you want to collaborate with. The album jumps right in to “Who”. It’s a funky sounding tune. It sounds like a lot of David Byrne songs, but St. Vincent chimes in with some bonus vocals. This track is really Byrne heavy. If I weren’t a fan of his I’d probably be all “what happened to St. Vincent?!” She’s back in “Weekend In The Dust”, a weird tune. St. Vincent’s vocal styling reminds me of Prince in a strange way. The music feels like a Talking Heads/Prince throw back as well. I don’t know what to think about it. It doesn’t work for me. The next one seems more Byrne aimed and then the next one is back to St. Vincent’s stuff. It’s again, her vocals on top of what feels like a throwback jam. It’s even almost R&B soul. The formula is taking a clear shape by the fifth track. It’s another Byrne strong track where Vincent’s vocals are basically glorified back-up vocals. A song called “I Am An Ape” is just lame. It’s not even fun in an ironic way. It’s just an overdone joke track with the pretense of some other meaning. Nope. It’s just a lame song. I’m not “hating on it”, but both have done MUCH better. Yikes. Going into the sixth track, “The Forest Awakes”, I automatically assume the first vocals I hear will be St. Vincent. I am correct. It’s a trumpet-centric toot-fest on top of some electronic stuff. She adds some beautiful sounding vocals that turn out to be hokey lyrics. I’m starting to just accept that this album is a joke. I’ve not heard one song that’s engaging or captivating. It’s more of a “project” than an actual “album”. It’s a big ass bummer too. I was really getting into St. Vincent and David Byrne has been one of my favorites for years. Critics loved this album and I’m sure there are indie nerds out there who want to curse me out for trashing on this, but it was a task to get through. Even up until the end I was holding out with optimism that something would grab my ears, but this was a letdown. “Optimist” and “Lightening” were probably the best songs on this release. Both were St. Vincent focused tracks with complimentary atmosphere behind it. It wasn’t some choppy sounding song with ironic attempts at irony. They could have almost been reworked outtakes from past albums, but even they weren’t all that fascinating. I can’t recommend this album to anyone. Even if you want to be a completest and hear ALL of St. Vincent and David Byrnes’s work I’d say pass on this. This album was not a fun time. I hope the most recent St. Vincent album recaptures the magic of what she did up until THIS. Yikes. What a fucking bummer.
St. Vincent
(2012 – 40 minutes) - St. Vincent’s official fourth album plays for like 20 seconds and you already know it’s going to be better than the collaboration album that came before it. The opening track “Rattlesnake” has music that reminds me of Nine Inch Nails again. It’s a pretty danceable tune with interesting and appealing vocals. It’s funky, groovy, and frantic at the same time. The swagger of the song is remarkable and would pop back up pretty often. For instance, “Birth in Reverse” is a really unique song. The delivery is cool and not like anything else on the St. Vincent albums thus far. The more subdued and down tempo tunes like “Prince Johnny”, “I Prefer Your Love”, and “Psychopath” are full sounding and almost psychedelic. Her voice, with the daunting and haunting groove doom music makes for some really intoxicating tunes. “Huey Newton” starts calming and builds up to an attitude infused groaner. I really like it. Her vocals flat out kick ass as the music takes over. It feels a lot like an old classic rock song that I can’t put my finger on. It’s easily the best song I’ve heard in a few albums. The chaos is present on this one too. “Bring Me Your Loves” is a mess of cool sounds and sweet vocals. It’s not up-tempo, it’s not down-tempo… it’s just chaos! “Every Tear Disappears” is chaotic too, but more organized and not that good. It feels like a bad remix of a Madonna song. Not in a good way either. I don’t know how I feel about “Digital Witness”. It’s good, but I don’t know if it’s good because it reminds me of Bowie or it reminds me of Bowie because it’s good. That’s a hard one to ponder. I want to hear it again so that’s something definitely positive. This album was a step back into the right direction, but not fully my cup of tea. It was an enjoyable experience all around, but I didn’t feel as involved as the others.
THE VERDICT
(2007 – ) - Maybe I just got burnt out after the collaboration album, but I leave this long day of listening to all five albums a bit worn out. The first two, even three albums were really good. I absolutely loved the first album , liked the second, and enjoyed the third. Then that collaboration album really let all the air out of me. I was into the evolution and progression of St. Vincent up until that point. By the time the fourth “official” album hit I was listening with cautious ears. I liked some songs and didn’t like others. It wasn’t that it was “bad” or anything like that. It was just exhausting. If you were like me and keep hearing about St. Vincent and wanted to check her work out I’d completely recommend the debut and the follow up. If you really like those then move forward with reasonable expectations. Some bands evolve in a way a listener likes and some bands go a different direction. It just happens. Some fans stick with them and some grow out of them. I feel like, in one sitting, that I may have grown out of them. I totally want to go back and listen again and reexamine where I felt the boat was missed because there was some amazing stuff in the early albums that make me wonder if the shift was their music or my mood. I’ll find out. Regardless, I’m glad to have added St. Vincent into my own personal musical lexicon. Support the artist because St. Vincent is for damn sure an artist.
What is YOUR favorite St. Vincent album?
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