I have been a fan of St. Vincent for quite a while now; she puts out consistently great 

material and has an idiosyncratic approach to pop Music that I find both quite fascinating and a whole lot of fun. On top of this I absolutely loved her last record, 2014’s St. Vincent, so suffice to say 'Masseduction' has the weight of great expectations on it. However, I have found myself feeling a little apprehensive about this new album in the months leading up to its release; her trajectory for the last few albums has been to become more radio friendly with each one (note that the self-titled was both her major label debut and quite a bit glossier than her older material, not a coincidence in my opinion). This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I had some concerns that she may lose some of that aforementioned idiosyncrasy in the process of crossing over to a more mainstream audience. On top of this I found lead single 'New York' pleasant but a little pedestrian and was worried that the album might follow suit. 

Well, I’m pleased to report that that is not the case at all! 'Masseduction' may be glossier and more digestible than most of her previous work, but it still carries that manic, quirky edge that has always brought her music to life. I have seen a few people bashing this album as a sort of watered down, pop version of St. Vincent, but I don’t think this argument holds any water at all. These people must be living in some parallel universe where Top 40 radio plays songs as bonkers as 'Sugarboy' or 'Pills' because to me 'Masseduction', while catchy and cleanly produced sounds nothing like pop radio. Yes it’s Pop Music, but St. Vincent has always made pop music and the stuff she’s doing here is as intriguingly zany as ever. 'Pills' for example rushes through a nursery rhyme like chant, hyperactive synthpop, noisy guitar jamming and a Bowie-esque climax complete with some breathtaking saxophone from Kamasi Washington - all in the space of less than five minutes! 'Los Ageless' may be extremely hooky, but it also features a moody spoken word outro and hissing guitars that would put it out of place on Top 40 radio. Which I suppose is a shame, because it sounds like a hit and the world would be an ever so slightly better place if it was one. Speaking of guitars, St. Vincent’s signature face-melting guitar work pops up plenty on 'Masseduction', which is great news for me because I love that stuff. The fuzzy guitars also make for an interesting contrast with the slick synthpop sound of many of the tracks here, preventing the songs from ever sounding too smooth or predictable. 

'Masseduction' also features some of Clark’s most personal material since 'Actor'. She often sings from the perspective not of herself but of various characters; in a recent interview with Time Magazine she described her personas on Strange Mercy and St Vincent as a “sad housewife” and a “near future cult leader” respectively. A lot of this artifice has been stripped back on this new album; for the first time in a while we get to hear from the perspective of Annie Clark the person, as opposed to St. Vincent the larger than life character (summed up here). The lyrics Delevinge. 'Happy Birthday, Johnny', an apology letter to an estranged family member, is more intimate than anything she has recorded in quite some time. It’s a simple piano 

It’s not often that Clark refers to herself by her real name in her music - she hasn’t done it since her debut ten years ago - and that she does it here is indicative of how much she opens up and allows herself to be vulnerable on this album. On 'Smoking Section' she bleakness of her venting here is unprecedented and is again a window into her private life than we have rarely been allowed to glimpse into before. 

One of the key things about St. Vincent’s appeal for me has always been the contradictions present in her music and the tension generated by those contradictions. 'Actor’s' 'Black Rainbow', for example, is an innocent, almost Disney-esque number that transforms into a nightmare, whilst 'The Strangers' contrasts Clark’s sweet sounding voice with lyrics about domestic abuse. Contrary to what some may be saying, she hasn’t lost this knack for contradiction with 'Masseduction'. This is one of her most musically punchy and extroverted efforts whilst also being one of her most lyrically introverted and personal. The sound may be glossier than before but the tension is still there, and we get the chance to get closer to the real Annie Clark than previously. Oh and it's super catchy as well! So yeah, this is another strong entry into St. Vincent’s rock solid discography.  

Oh and has anybody else noticed how much the chorus of 'Pills' sounds like the music from the old Pokemon games? Don't tell me you can't hear it. It’s uncanny!