St. Vincent is a rare album in that it makes an immediate visceral impact, but is cerebral enough to warrant exegesis and multiple listens to begin to fully understand. On the opener “Rattlesnake”, Annie Clark poses the question “Am I the only one in the only world?” Whatever world she is from, she may be the only one that got lost and landed on earth. The album cover presents her as a colorful alternative to the Tilda Swinton character in the film adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia. It allows her to build the foundation of her own mythology for St. Vincent the artist. She is able to find her own voice here, making some of the most accessible, yet challenging tunes of her career. With her new found confidence in her artistic voice, she almost had to make it self titled. Clark said that she was inspired by Miles Davis’ autobiography when he said that the “hardest thing for an artist to do is sound like yourself.”
At times St. Vincent reads like a technophobic critique of human culture, though Clark has stated it’s less of a condemnation than a warning. “Digital Witness” makes direct reference to Facebook and internet culture while “Rattlesnake” places Annie in the natural environment without her defenses. She starts to feel free until she until she hears a warning rattle from a deadly snake nearby. It’s at this moment that she seems to realize that the human world is a separate constructed world where getting bit by a rattlesnake is not an everyday concern for survival. This fear sets the tone for the rest of the disconnection and critiques throughout the album

As technology progresses, we can become even more disconnected from what it really means to be human. The constructed world we live in has been around for centuries but the new challenge with the exponential growth of technology has created challenges that weren't there before. It's easy to get sucked in to the digital world and become detached from other people, but the same technology can be used to keep in touch with distant friends and relatives. Clark recognizes this duality and renders it beautifully

“Regret” is the most straightforward track and contains some of the best lyrics. It’s only fitting that the enigmatic “Bring Me Your Loves”, the “Finger Back” of 2014, comes next in the album sequence. It serves as a sonic representation of the insanity that life in the digital age can bring about. "I Prefer Your Love" gained some press because of the "controversial" lyrics but really, it is just a tender ode to her mother. There's not a skippable track on this record

With that, I’ll leave you with a quote from TheRaconteur in our mid-year review:From the cult thumps of “Digital Witness” to the wails of “Regret”, you can hear it. Unfiltered emotion. With every record, Clark manages to continue to evolve and now she’s officially graduated from indie sainthood to rock divinity. AmenCouldn't have put it better myself

- Benjamin R. SwansonCome back tomorrow for the second best album of the year and catch up on the rest of the list so far!