Annie Clark, better known by her stage name, St. Vincent, returns with a new album, and frankly, it does not disappoint at all.
Technically, the album, (produced by Clark herself,) is primarily based on the sound of analog synthesizers. Although Clark is primarily known for being a guitarist (the guitar is also present in All Born Screaming), her albums have always been filled with parts and arrangements created with all kinds of instruments, and keyboards have never been missing. The electronic stamp of All Born Screaming does not seem out of place in her discography.
What strikes me is the sound of the production of the album. It is a fat, relatively opaque sound, not precisely something we could consider hifi. It is, in fact, a bit dirty. This, I believe, must be part of Clark’s objective. The songs, although featuring dense harmonies and complex arrangements, typical of her, do not seem to be perfectly polished compositions, but rather a stream of consciousness captured in its raw essence.
Clark seems to release many of her repressed emotions through this collection of songs, in which we can clearly appreciate her existential dilemmas, cynical comments, and even her own demons. More than songs, they seem to me almost a more elaborate variation of Primal Scream Therapy, a psychological therapy where repressed emotions are released through intense vocal expression. We can even relate this idea to the album’s title, All Born Screaming.
In the musical universe of All Born Screaming, there are no songs with a typical pop structure, including mundane things like verses and choruses. No. The music flows freely in a continuous form, which means that generally, each section of each song is different and sections do not repeat. Clark guides the music with her voice while expressing her thoughts, experiences, and traumas in that articulated and focused, yet cold and detached manner that characterizes her. Her voice as such, and her vocal harmonies, sound as beautiful as ever.
With her lyrics, Clark throws venomous darts. She tells us about her sadness. Captures playful and fanciful craziness. Expresses her anger and frustrations. She shares some conclusions she has reached in her life, with great conviction. And there always seems to be a bit of paranoia in every corner. It is real, brilliant, and at the same time a bit dark and disturbing. I sense that she is undoubtedly a person who knows how to reach the deepest parts of her mind and unconscious, observe, confront, and understand what is there, and even integrate it into herself.
The music on the album, in general, I would define as complex and dense electronic art-pop with occasional appearances of other instruments, such as pianos, brass, and the odd electric guitar solo. Music that often moves at a slow pace but suddenly surprises with a song with a more accelerated and dynamic beat to compensate.
This is an intense album that has the potential to emotionally affect the listener on deep levels if given the chance to get in. It is worth dedicating the time and attention required to explore what this brilliant artist has created here. Absolutely recommended.
