St. Vincent : All Born Screaming

If ever there was a proper heir to the throne of our beloved David Bowie it would be Annie Clark, aka St. Vincent. From the Texas native’s beginnings as a member of the Polyphonic Spree to a stint in Sufjan Steven’s band to her debut album Marry Me in 2007, Clark has shown a need to never be stagnant. With each successive solo album St. Vincent built from what came before and grew as an artist and performer.

The biggest shift in Clark’s art and writing came with 2014s funky and glittery self-titled album. Built on electronic beats and attitude, that album opened to door to records like the Jack Antonoff co-produced Masseduction and Daddy’s Home. From piano-driven torch songs to the seedy streets of 70s-era lower Manhatten, St. Vincent has touched on all kinds of sounds, characters, and personalities while still being very much Annie Clark.

On St. Vincent’s newest album, the excellent All Born Screaming, Clark seems to bring all those personas and styles into one wonderfully chaotic self-produced LP. From the sweet to the sour to the funky and metallic, All Born Screaming is the most vast and revealing St. Vincent album yet.

Album opener “Hell Is Near” opens on an almost Gothic note, Clark’s vocals whispering from some echoing void. Soon enough drums, bass, and keys come in sounding like Thom Yorke and The Smile. It’s a slinky and ominous track that sounds very different from the St. Vincent of the past near decade. “Reckless” opens on a somber piano and an aching vocal, bringing to mind early Tori Amos. But the song explodes in almost industrial chaos as the song comes to its conclusion. “Broken Man” clinks and clanks like Kraftwerk and PJ Harvey in all attitude and seething condemnation. Some definite NIN vibes.

Elsewhere “Big Time Nothing” is all electro funk in the style of Tobacco and Beck. You can’t help but want to dance awkwardly alone in your living room. “Violent Times” is another banger, like if Portishead wrote a Bond theme. With its sultry horns and big bass you can almost imagine ‘Ian Fleming Presents’ coming up on some opening credit scene. “Sweetest Fruit” is its own weird and danceable beast, while album closer and title track “All Born Screaming” finishes the album out on an 80s note. Talk Talk and Wang Chung comes to mind, with touches of Talking Heads. Plus, Clark gets help here from Cate Le Bon.

Once again Annie Clark, aka St. Vincent, makes another stunning album that surpasses what came before. All Born Screaming is dark, heavy, and with just the right amount of dance floor fodder to keep you moving.