St Vincent: St Vincent – review

Equal parts funky electro throwback and prog chanson monster, St Vincent's fourth album feels like the culmination of a trajectory from the margins to centre stage with a minimum of intellectual loss. These 11 songs are by far Annie Clark's most accessible – check especially the epic Bowie poses of the album's closer, Severed Crossed Fingers, and the heavy riff pop of Regret – but all retain her signature quirks. Rhythm is key here, and on crazed R&B tracks such as Bring Me Your Loves Clark's conservatoire tricks are smuggled in under the guise of party pieces.