St. Vincent – “Digital Witness”

When you’re a well-established musician, it can be difficult to surprise listeners and achieve success at the same time. St. Vincent’s self-titled record accomplishes that feat, and it’s in no small part due to “Digital Witness” – an expansive, artful pop masterpiece.

The lyrics are a scathing indictment of “the selfie age”: I can’t show it, if you can’t see me / What’s the point of doing anything?, and the song uses just about everything in its arsenal from a sonic perspective.  From the insanely infectious rhythm to the unprecedented prevalence of horns, the track immediately grabs your attention.  Annie Clark’s delivery is on-point, crafting one of the catchiest choruses in her entire discography with a layered and highly addictive vocal melody.  On top of that, the muted post-chorus (This is no time for confessing) adds yet another hook.  Basically, “Digital Witness” comes at listeners overflowing with insanely catchy qualities – from the instrumentals to the multiple melodic hooks – and it’s all wrapped up in a tidy three and a half minute package.

When I think of 2014, there’s no song that sticks out like this uniquely rhythm-driven pop song.  It’s telling that NPR ranked this as the #181 greatest song by a female or nonbinary artist in the 21st century.  Annie Clark is highly deserving of such recognition, and “Digital Witness” easily belongs on this decade list.

Read more from this decade at my homepage for Sowing’s Songs of the Decade.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5JjmQsvmmmOBFnUjP7FLu4