"There's truth-truth, and then there are the merciful lies that we tell others because the net result of truth would be more, not less, suffering," 25-year-old Texan Annie Clark (aka St Vincent) explains in reference to the title of her stunning third album.
A multi-instrumentalist with Bjork-like vocal abilities, Clark's previous album, Actor, was all baroque pop - layered arrangements of strings and woodwind with an ornate finish.
Strange Mercy still displays her knack for a yearning pop melody, and has a candid lyrical style, but here she contrasts her serene, fragile vocal tones with heavier beats, electronic decorations and an impressive array of guitar tones and fuzzy riffs. She approaches the guitar with an experimental attitude, along with the arrangements - one moment you're drifting along in a sort of Lazy Sunday soundscape; then she'll be off on a Hendrix-like tangent. Cruel is a sparkling 80s-influenced concoction (with great remix potential), early single Surgeon is a wash of sliding synths and R'n'B beats, while Neutered Fruit mixes blurry vocal layers with an almost funk-like groove and slightly sinister lyrics.
Clark has roped in gospel organist Bobby Sparks, Midlake's McKenzie Smith on drums and Beck's musical director, Brian LeBarton. They've created a collection of slightly unsettling yet emotionally powerful psychedelic pop.
Stars: 5/5
Verdict: Dreamy arrangements bloom into fuzzy guitars and R&B grooves.
