Now Hear In might sound noisy, but there’s a shouted melody to it that never descends into anything obnoxious. And yet the punk energy is there all the way throughout. Psychic Trauma isn’t just a bunch of guys smashing some drums and power chords, and while Pattern Walks ends up getting heavier than some listeners might feel comfortable with, it’s immediately followed up with the more radio-friendly I’m Not Part Of Me.

It’s hard to find a track I dislike, and while I might not be throwing this on at house parties like I did with Celebration Rock for a while, this is going to get some heavy rotation in the car with the window rolled down. I think my favourite track is Quieter Today.

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The title of this record is significant: it’s not St. Vincent’s debut, so why would she give it her own name? Self-titling a record usually suggests that it should define what an artist is about. This isn’t an accident: St. Vincent is the very definition of what Annie Clark wants to be as an artist.

Rattlesnake shows her off, but Birth In Reverse is really the best intro to this record — and maybe a great intro to her discography. Huey Newton is a perfect example of the way her music can go from contemplative and even happy to dizzyingly heavy and fuzzy in but moments. Bring Me Your Loves is like a weird Lady Gaga side project. In similar veins, Digital Witness and Regret are pretty much perfect, but you could argue that St. Vincent is at her absolute heart-wrenching best when she slows down for songs like I Prefer Your Love.

And in each of these songs, St. Vincent is throwing weird sounds at the listener, and she’s so talented that it’s hard to tell if she’s using a synth or a guitar to accomplish the noise. It’s a guitar god record from a performer at her peak, but it’s also a master lesson in songwriting. St. Vincent is unpredictable, powerful, and completely disarming.

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