Album Review: St. Vincent, 'MASSEDUCTION'

The guitar-shredding lyrical wizard, Annie Clark, is back with her spectacular fifth album as St. Vincent. MASSEDUCTION is a tour de force in lyrical acuteness, instrumental proficiency, and vocal experimentation.

The MASSEDUCTION era was kicked off by the biting and catchy lead single "Los Ageless," where St. Vincent makes an interesting commentary on society's relationship with age and our obsession with youth. St. Vincent continues this trend on tracks such as "Pills" and "Fear The Future."

Throughout the album, St. Vincent's pen is sharp and her guitar-playing as incredible as ever, but it is all gilded with a pop sheen. Vincent wears the pop sheen like a couture gown, and it works for her. Her pop sensibilities flourish throughout the album and they mesh beautifully with her alternative rock comfort zone and larger-than-life persona. MASSEDUCTION has beautiful down-tempo moments such as the heart-breaking ballad, "Happy Birthday, Johnny." MASSEDUCTION is broken pop; it's futuristic, society-critiquing, and self-deprecating. The album carries an air of self-awareness that allows it to make mind-bending metaphors while remaining easily accessible.

Last year we lost two musical geniuses, Prince and David Bowie; today, we should be grateful that their artistic spirituality and musical keenness lives on in the form Annie Clark, better known as, St. Vincent.

Key Tracks: "Pills," "Los Ageless," "Smoking Section," basically every song

SCORE: 89