On her seventh studio album, All Born Screaming, St. Vincent (Annie Clark) takes on full production duties for the first time. Several notable guests on the album include Dave Grohl who adds a pummeling quality to “Flea” and Cate le Bon on the title track that has touch of Vampire Weekend for the first half, breaks free with a sped up heartbeat beat in the middle before ending in electronic abyss.
The album begins with the distant beats of “Hell is Near” that mixes live instrumentation with electronics. Also featuring the drums of Grohl, “Broken Man” has a strut made for the industrial dancefloor. Clark brings the vibe down a notch with the James Bond like “Violent Times” that has a great vocal plus the laid back reggae vibe of “So Many Planets” about searching for a place to belong. As an album, All Born Screaming far more often than not brings the substance along with the impeccable style.
8/10
The Light Appears 