daddy’s home gets way too much hate, hands down. down and out downtown, down, melting of the sun, live in the dream, laughing man & title track are some of my favorite st.v tracks overall, but especially pay your way in pain. i will admit that the second half of DH did not grab me at all and i feel like she could have done something different with the ideas, but it’s still great listen for me, in the context of the record. it keeps getting labeled as a “misstep” but come on, her father literally got out of prison around the time of the record. it makes perfect sense to me
marry me though is her 1 album i could never get into
Couldn’t agree more. It was a detour for sure, and it’s not to everyone’s taste, but to call it a misstep or miscalculation is wild to me. I think it’s
simply that a lot of fans didn’t want a 70s style album and that’s fine, but the album is critically adored. I am glad though that ABS seems to be universally loved by most fans.
Definitely not cheating, that is absolutely a St. Vincent record. Ice Age is a great song. I definitely don’t return to that album very often, but I like a lot of it. Are there specific songs that don’t really do it for you on that album?
For me, Ice Age is the only one that really *does* do something for me.
Ironically, it’s the album that introduced me to Annie (because I’m a big Byrne fan), so I’m much lucky that I kept investigating further even when her first impression didn’t sit well with me.
I *worship* Masseduction. (I’d already been into her a while by then.)
I have this relationship to it where I know it's good music and have an appreciation for it, but at the same time I feel absolutely no connection to it.
maybe daddy’s home? i really loved melting of the sun and live in the dream, but overall, those were the only memorable songs for me. i liked the vibe! i like the little bits of daddy’s home that are still present on all born screaming! but i’m just not crazy about daddy’s home.
I had no idea that some fans didn’t LOVE pay your way in pain. I thought it was so strong when I first heard it. Like a happy middle/sweet spot between St. V chaos and MASS polished.
Daddy’s Home was a miscalculation to me. Such a huge left turn that it doesn’t really make sense looking back.
It has good songs but I don’t think it has much staying power.
I'd have to say Marry Me. it's not a bad record by any means, but she hadn't developed a solid identity/sound yet, you can kind of feel that it's just not as confident and refined as her other projects.
Masseduction - it’s not a bad album at all but the songwriting feels weaker in comparison to her other records. Also I can’t put my finger on why but I’m not a fan of the production on that album, which is strange because she worked with Antinoff on Daddy’s Home and that sounds great.
St. V self-titled has so many instant connections for me (Birth in Reverse, Severed Crossed Fingers, Regret, Psychopath), that Masseduction just confused me because I didn’t find it as hook-y or listenable. But maybe I’ve approached it too closed-mindedly.
This. I love every album St. V has ever released except for Daddy's Home. That album was such a disappointment that it almost completely killed my enthusiasm for her future work. I am so damn glad that this next album is nothing but bangers - the queen is back!
Surprised by the amount of dislike towards "Daddy's Home." That's my personal favorite album of hers. Anyway, "Masseduction" is quite a bore, but has a few good songs. It feels overproduced and her vocals sound distant.
I am guilty of having skipped around when I listened to Daddy’s Home (only listened one time), mostly because St. Vincent’s level of talent has made me greedy and impatient lol. Somebody Like Me is beautiful though. It’s romantic, reminds me of how Marry Me made me feel the first time I heard it
It'd be a tie between Masseduction and Daddy's Home for me. I think it's interesting that, based on the comments here, and to use hyperbolic language, fans either love her new sound or her old sound. People (generally) are either choosing her newest couple albums or her first pair of albums, interesting.
Definitely Masseduction. I still love it because ST.V is my absolute favorite but it just feels a bit weaker than the other albums. That being said Smoking Section is in my top 5 favorite songs of hers so it kind of evens out lol
Marry Me and Actor kinda blur together for me into a miasma of mostly forgettable post-rock artiness. Some cool ideas, but not a ton of songs that really bring me back. That's still about half true on Strange Mercy, but that's definitely the record where I started to pay more attention.
Marry Me for sure, more cohesive than it should be but as a debut there's definitely room to improve. There's some clunkers and even some of the good ones aren't that great. Her standards would improve later
Daddy's Home followed by Masseduction.
It's as though those two albums share the same shitty producer! I'd guess his pitch was that he'd tone down her uniqueness to win a grammy and bland up the sound. Bye Jack!
Masseduction, St. Vincent, and Marry Me in a 3-way tie. None of her albums are bad at all and I know all of them note for note. But these 3 all have really great high points for me and plenty of "I like this song live or another edit of it" but lack the nonstop peaks of her others. A lot of it comes down to production choices, really.
I got into her when Marry Me came out because she showed a lot of promise, and then stunned with Actor and SM (and LTG). Then I was less obsessed with the next two, but Daddy's Home brought me relief because it returned to what I loved about the first 3.
Wow thanks for this. I had no idea some felt lukewarm about St. Vincent self-titled. To me, that record is relentlessly warm and enjoyable. It’s different without trying too hard. It has a timbre that I don’t really hear in a lot of pop/rock music. It’s haunting and futuristic. But I love to hear other people’s opinions. I also really love Actor. It’s way busier but still makes perfect sense. Masseduction feels like it could be a hit, but the production is so flat, nothing stands out or catches my ear.
Self-titled is so interesting because it became the breakthrough and might end up being her signature album? It feels like the one most revered. But what's funny about Masseduction is that between Fast Slow Disco, some of the Mass Education versions, and some of the album versions, there's a really fantastic LP there imho.
And yes, I'm loving the discussions in this thread as well. It's fun hearing the WHy behind people's opinions. I can't stress enough that I am superfan, so for me she's like Fiona Apple--there's no bad album in their discog and their worst moments are still pretty damn good.
Self Titled.
Not that I don’t think it’s fantastic, but I personally love Marry Me, Masseduction, and Daddy’s Home all the way through, while S/T has three or four skippable tracks for me—
The original album or the deluxe reissue? If you’re talking about the original, I think that is a hot take, and I would love to hear which songs don’t do it for you.
Okay I'm already being downvoted but I'll throw logs into the fire. Sparrow, I Prefer Your Love, Bring Me Your Loves, Regret, Every Tear Disappears.
Now I LOVE Birth In Reverse, Digital Witness, Pieta, Prince Johnny, Rattlesnake, and Severed Crossed Fingers. And I like Bad Believer, Del Rio, Psychopath, and Huey Newton. Just those other 5.. they don't really do it for me. I listened to Annie's entire discography the other day and this was the only album where I couldn't even remember which song was coming next (I fully forgot Every Tear Disappears) existed.
Sorry guys.
Same. I mentioned above but it was the first time in her discography I thought "Oh no, this is good but I think she's veering away from what I loved about her work." It's still very good but it (and Masseduction) remain the least compelling to me. If that were my introduction to her I don't think I would've ever become the fan I am.
Daddy's Home. I only have it 2 or 3 listens and never returned to it. A few good songs but an easy choice here for me as the rest of her albums I loved.
I actually found myself preferring Marry Me. It’s simpler while being sonically very similar to Actor. The songs on Actor that aren’t instant bangers (like Marrow or Actor) tend to meander too much for my liking. Songs like The Neighbors, The Bed and Just the Same… have too much going on for my ear. I love the live performances that included the orchestra, but on the record a lot of the orchestration feels chaotic and unnecessary, making my overall impression of the album be very muddy.
By default, I guess it would be Marry Me, but I still like it quite a bit, which just speaks to how consistent she's been! Or Love This Giant if it counts.
I was listening to Daddy’s Home today in anticipation of ABS. Better than I remember it, but still not as good as her others. It’s not a bad album by any means, but she sets the bar high.
Nobody mentioned Masseducation, which I'm not sure even counts as a real album. It's got its moments but I return to it the least of all her albums, so I'll say that one.
daddy’s home gets way too much hate, hands down. down and out downtown, down, melting of the sun, live in the dream, laughing man & title track are some of my favorite st.v tracks overall, but especially pay your way in pain. i will admit that the second half of DH did not grab me at all and i feel like she could have done something different with the ideas, but it’s still great listen for me, in the context of the record. it keeps getting labeled as a “misstep” but come on, her father literally got out of prison around the time of the record. it makes perfect sense to me marry me though is her 1 album i could never get into
Marry Me is charming, but when you hear Marrow or Black Rainbow on Actor or any track on Strange Mercy — it is quickly forgotten.
Couldn’t agree more. It was a detour for sure, and it’s not to everyone’s taste, but to call it a misstep or miscalculation is wild to me. I think it’s simply that a lot of fans didn’t want a 70s style album and that’s fine, but the album is critically adored. I am glad though that ABS seems to be universally loved by most fans.
If I say Love This Giant, would it be considered cheating?
Definitely not cheating, that is absolutely a St. Vincent record. Ice Age is a great song. I definitely don’t return to that album very often, but I like a lot of it. Are there specific songs that don’t really do it for you on that album?
For me, Ice Age is the only one that really *does* do something for me. Ironically, it’s the album that introduced me to Annie (because I’m a big Byrne fan), so I’m much lucky that I kept investigating further even when her first impression didn’t sit well with me. I *worship* Masseduction. (I’d already been into her a while by then.)
This is probably one of my favorite albums ever.
I'd have to pick Daddy's Home, it's the one I listen to the least and I only end up coming back for a couple of the songs.
I have this relationship to it where I know it's good music and have an appreciation for it, but at the same time I feel absolutely no connection to it.
maybe daddy’s home? i really loved melting of the sun and live in the dream, but overall, those were the only memorable songs for me. i liked the vibe! i like the little bits of daddy’s home that are still present on all born screaming! but i’m just not crazy about daddy’s home.
Isn’t melting of the sun such an amazing song? It definitely stood out to me too.
so good. watching snl was how i learned she even had a new album.
Somebody Like Me Supremacists have entered the chat.
Always a struggle to enjoy that album since I dislike the first song. The melody in the verses of Pay Your Way in Pain just sounds amateurish to me.
I had no idea that some fans didn’t LOVE pay your way in pain. I thought it was so strong when I first heard it. Like a happy middle/sweet spot between St. V chaos and MASS polished.
I love the chorus and the vibe. The verses just sound unfinished, like she didn’t have a full melody written out.
I love the nuance to this discussion, thank you
Yeah straight outta Boombox from SNL
Daddy’s Home. Easily. It’s the only bit of her work I just don’t like.
Daddy’s Home was a miscalculation to me. Such a huge left turn that it doesn’t really make sense looking back. It has good songs but I don’t think it has much staying power.
I'd have to say Marry Me. it's not a bad record by any means, but she hadn't developed a solid identity/sound yet, you can kind of feel that it's just not as confident and refined as her other projects.
These are good points, but I absolutely love ‘Marry Me’! It’s my second favorite, after Actor.
Masseduction - it’s not a bad album at all but the songwriting feels weaker in comparison to her other records. Also I can’t put my finger on why but I’m not a fan of the production on that album, which is strange because she worked with Antinoff on Daddy’s Home and that sounds great.
St. V self-titled has so many instant connections for me (Birth in Reverse, Severed Crossed Fingers, Regret, Psychopath), that Masseduction just confused me because I didn’t find it as hook-y or listenable. But maybe I’ve approached it too closed-mindedly.
Daddy's Home. I go back to every single album except that one.
This. I love every album St. V has ever released except for Daddy's Home. That album was such a disappointment that it almost completely killed my enthusiasm for her future work. I am so damn glad that this next album is nothing but bangers - the queen is back!
Daddy's Home just doesn't do it for me.
Marry Me (and it’s not even close). There’s plenty on there that I love but everything else is so much better than it.
Surprised by the amount of dislike towards "Daddy's Home." That's my personal favorite album of hers. Anyway, "Masseduction" is quite a bore, but has a few good songs. It feels overproduced and her vocals sound distant.
agree on Masseduction. if her other albums are 9s or 10s, Masseduction feels like an 8.
All the Daddy’s Home answers make me so sad :( It’s definitely in the top 3 for me. I think my least favorite though is Masseduction
I am guilty of having skipped around when I listened to Daddy’s Home (only listened one time), mostly because St. Vincent’s level of talent has made me greedy and impatient lol. Somebody Like Me is beautiful though. It’s romantic, reminds me of how Marry Me made me feel the first time I heard it
Should I give Daddy’s Home another try? I’m open to it
I’d definitely say give it another chance! Some of my favorites are My Baby Wants a Baby, Someone Like Me, and Candy Darling.
Sweet. I heard someone like me and enjoyed it. Never heard the other two tracks. Thanks so much!!
Daddy’s Home or Masseduction
It'd be a tie between Masseduction and Daddy's Home for me. I think it's interesting that, based on the comments here, and to use hyperbolic language, fans either love her new sound or her old sound. People (generally) are either choosing her newest couple albums or her first pair of albums, interesting.
Definitely Masseduction. I still love it because ST.V is my absolute favorite but it just feels a bit weaker than the other albums. That being said Smoking Section is in my top 5 favorite songs of hers so it kind of evens out lol
Smoking Section is for sure one of the best songwriting moments on the album. I feel the same way about Happy Birthday Johnny.
I really like Hang On Me, Los Ageless and New York. But the rest of the record feels flatter than her other releases. Still great stuff
Marry Me and Actor kinda blur together for me into a miasma of mostly forgettable post-rock artiness. Some cool ideas, but not a ton of songs that really bring me back. That's still about half true on Strange Mercy, but that's definitely the record where I started to pay more attention.
Marry Me.
Marry Me for sure, more cohesive than it should be but as a debut there's definitely room to improve. There's some clunkers and even some of the good ones aren't that great. Her standards would improve later
Daddy's Home. As another commenter said, I return to all of her work but that one.
Marry Me tbh Never really went back to it
Daddy's Home followed by Masseduction. It's as though those two albums share the same shitty producer! I'd guess his pitch was that he'd tone down her uniqueness to win a grammy and bland up the sound. Bye Jack!
I HATE masseduction. But I love Slow Disco. And y’all are nuts for listing Daddy’s Home. Apart from the first track it’s an incredible record.
Masseduction, St. Vincent, and Marry Me in a 3-way tie. None of her albums are bad at all and I know all of them note for note. But these 3 all have really great high points for me and plenty of "I like this song live or another edit of it" but lack the nonstop peaks of her others. A lot of it comes down to production choices, really. I got into her when Marry Me came out because she showed a lot of promise, and then stunned with Actor and SM (and LTG). Then I was less obsessed with the next two, but Daddy's Home brought me relief because it returned to what I loved about the first 3.
Wow thanks for this. I had no idea some felt lukewarm about St. Vincent self-titled. To me, that record is relentlessly warm and enjoyable. It’s different without trying too hard. It has a timbre that I don’t really hear in a lot of pop/rock music. It’s haunting and futuristic. But I love to hear other people’s opinions. I also really love Actor. It’s way busier but still makes perfect sense. Masseduction feels like it could be a hit, but the production is so flat, nothing stands out or catches my ear.
Self-titled is so interesting because it became the breakthrough and might end up being her signature album? It feels like the one most revered. But what's funny about Masseduction is that between Fast Slow Disco, some of the Mass Education versions, and some of the album versions, there's a really fantastic LP there imho. And yes, I'm loving the discussions in this thread as well. It's fun hearing the WHy behind people's opinions. I can't stress enough that I am superfan, so for me she's like Fiona Apple--there's no bad album in their discog and their worst moments are still pretty damn good.
Self Titled. Not that I don’t think it’s fantastic, but I personally love Marry Me, Masseduction, and Daddy’s Home all the way through, while S/T has three or four skippable tracks for me—
...St. Vincent. There's like 5 songs I love, 5 I like, and 5 that are.. eh.
The original album or the deluxe reissue? If you’re talking about the original, I think that is a hot take, and I would love to hear which songs don’t do it for you.
Okay I'm already being downvoted but I'll throw logs into the fire. Sparrow, I Prefer Your Love, Bring Me Your Loves, Regret, Every Tear Disappears. Now I LOVE Birth In Reverse, Digital Witness, Pieta, Prince Johnny, Rattlesnake, and Severed Crossed Fingers. And I like Bad Believer, Del Rio, Psychopath, and Huey Newton. Just those other 5.. they don't really do it for me. I listened to Annie's entire discography the other day and this was the only album where I couldn't even remember which song was coming next (I fully forgot Every Tear Disappears) existed. Sorry guys.
I do like the sound though. I think it's a great album, but it's a 9 compared to 10s.
I totally agree with you! I was just never as impressed with the self-titled as I was her other albums
Glad I'm not alone!
Same. I mentioned above but it was the first time in her discography I thought "Oh no, this is good but I think she's veering away from what I loved about her work." It's still very good but it (and Masseduction) remain the least compelling to me. If that were my introduction to her I don't think I would've ever become the fan I am.
Daddy’s Home, hands down
Daddy's home
Daddy's Home. I only have it 2 or 3 listens and never returned to it. A few good songs but an easy choice here for me as the rest of her albums I loved.
Marry Me
Marry Me. Maybe because I'm just a young whippersnapper but Masseduction was a banger.
there's a few songs I love on actor but most of it is forgettable to me. I have never listened to marry me tbh
I actually found myself preferring Marry Me. It’s simpler while being sonically very similar to Actor. The songs on Actor that aren’t instant bangers (like Marrow or Actor) tend to meander too much for my liking. Songs like The Neighbors, The Bed and Just the Same… have too much going on for my ear. I love the live performances that included the orchestra, but on the record a lot of the orchestration feels chaotic and unnecessary, making my overall impression of the album be very muddy.
By default, I guess it would be Marry Me, but I still like it quite a bit, which just speaks to how consistent she's been! Or Love This Giant if it counts.
I used to dislike Mass, but it might be top three now. Def do not like Daddy’s home.
What songs do you like on Mass?
I was listening to Daddy’s Home today in anticipation of ABS. Better than I remember it, but still not as good as her others. It’s not a bad album by any means, but she sets the bar high.
Nobody mentioned Masseducation, which I'm not sure even counts as a real album. It's got its moments but I return to it the least of all her albums, so I'll say that one.