Comes w/ digital download.

St. Vincent's Annie Clark is very obviously musically gifted, as a singer of uncommon warmth, a wicked guitar player and inventive songwriter. Her previous albums, Marry Me and especially its follow-up, Actor, showed flashes of brilliance amid occasionally fussy arrangements. But not only is Strange Mercy her strongest album to date, it's one of the best indie rock releases of the year, ably capturing her unique combination of experimentation and lush orchestration, mania and giddiness (think Doris Day losing her shit). Like her previous college-rock staple “Actor Out of Work,” “Cruel” balances current trends — clean guitar lines, a wink to fashionable Afro-pop — with bits of minor-key, swooping gospel choruses that send shivers every time. “Surgeon” pulses with neurotic, antiseptic tension. Electronic ballads like “Neutered Fruit” and “Champagne Year” find Clark at her most naked, taking her to stark, emotional places that graciously pay off. There isn't a misstep on Strange Mercy, remarkable because of the chances she takes; what's even more remarkable is that given her wide scope, the album comes out a powerful, unified statement.

“Annie Clark’s complex but tasteful productions have kept me coming back to this album again and again over the past few months. I think this is one of the best of 2011.” – Thomas Germain, Hollywood

Also available on CD.