St. Vincent’s MASSEDUCTION in 2017 was an instant classic that fully blossomed her endless intelligence in any aspect. With that album, St. Vincent became a true goddess in the unreachable world like Prince.

The mixture of various sound, various voice, various instrumentals, various noise, various effects. and various scale created a mysterious yet unified harmony without being chaotic throughout the album. Just before avant-garde. No dissonance. It was impossible to pick up a few good songs because MASSEDUCTION was complete with 13 songs in that track order. A truly complete format. It would be a waste of time to categorize the album in the cheap name of alternative. The album was music. A masterpiece. A genius.

MassEducation, released on Oct 12, 2018, was the piano version with the different track order. Honest opinion: did St. Vincent need to create this? I don’t deny piano version, but MassEducation is just manic depressive. Too dark. It doesn’t have acoustic beauty or elegance the piano sound would have. Absolutely no intimate, just the cause of mental disorder. This is just the alternative piano music, but genre should be what St. Vincent doesn’t want to be bound. Unfortunately, MassEducation is lack of borderless sparks, unlike MASSEDUCTION. 

The examples are “Pills” and “Masseduction“. They were the songs that significantly represented the most attractive part of MASSEDUCTION; infinite music expansion with a variety of musical developments, like progressive music. With the piano version, too simple and too low “Pill” causes a concussion, and “Masseduction” is as well as mental torture in a tiny and dark jail cell. Only the rescues are “Sugarboy” and “Fear the Future”, also the significant songs of MASSEDUCTION, keep the dynamics though less than the previous version. However, the temporary light was turned down into the ultra-depressive mode with “Smoke Section”

I don’t think MassEducation is an art, unlike MASSEDUCTION. This is just a disappointing form of self-satisfaction without entertaining.  I can’t find the St. Vincent’s point to create this album after such a great, artistically progressive album expanded her horizon while still entertaining. 

OVERALL POINTS: 37/100

• Songs: ★★
• Originality: ★★
• Thrills: ★
• Song orders: ★★
• Vocal: ★★★
• Background: ★
• Production: ★★
• Strong songs: None

EXTRA (NOT COUNTED TOWARD THE OVERALL POINTS)

• Title: C
• Album cover: D

THE RATING OF “MASSEDUCTION”, THE PREVIOUS VERSION

OVERALL POINTS: 99/100

• Songs: ★★★★+3/4
• Originality: ★★★★★
• Thrills: ★★★★★
• Song orders: ★★★★★
• Vocal: ★★★★+3/4
• Background: ★★★★★
• Production: ★★★★★
• Strong songs: “Hang on Me”, “Pills”, “Masseduction”, “Sugarboy”, “Fear the Future”

EXTRA (NOT COUNTED TOWARD THE OVERALL POINTS)

• Title: C
• Album cover: A

ST. VINCENT, MassEducation

ST. VINCENT, MASSEDUCTION