So it seems like people are a little unhappy with what we’ve heard so far of St. Vincent’s new record. General consensus is that “New York” is too simple for her usual sound and “Los Ageless” is a shameless pop grab? I think there’s some truth to both statements, but I’m still holding out hope for the record.
I have to say that the piano and vocal rendition of “New York” she did on Colbert this week was really nice. The cascading melody in the second chorus gave real Marry Me vibes.
“Los Ageless” was ok too, although I hope she’s not sacrificing a full band for repetitive leg-ography.
I remember around when she dropped “Digital Witness” there were accusations that she was focusing too much on image and not enough on music - those accusations are surely harder than ever since she’s spent the past few years in the fashion world. The fact that Jack Antonoff produced the album also hints that “Los Ageless” won’t be the only pop track. I can see how someone might think all of this combined with her recent Grammy win would make her want to pander to the mainstream more.
Still, if he could pull together something like Melodrama, I think there’s hope yet with Annie Clark at the wheel. She described this album as being a “sea change” in her music, and I think she still has enough maturity in her songwriting to know how to put together a good product. We will find out next week.
Also I was initially not a fan of her hair for this album cycle, but these promo photos won me over.
