Best of the Month is decided by a number of different variables; voter counts from preceding posts, reader reaction ratings, gut feelings, and lots and lots of heated discussions.
Album of the Month
October was a very tough month to have to choose the best album for. There were a number of great new projects that more than delivered in their own rights and each brought something different to the table. But out of every album to come out this month, none quite stuck with us as much as MASSEDUCTION by St. Vincent. The constant drive to reinvent oneself is a telltale sign of a true ‘artist’ (or at least an aspiring one) but very rarely is the actual act pulled off with any amount of great success. St. Vincent is one of those rare ones, and somehow, much like Lorde, she was able to create an album that simultaneously elevates and undercuts the very genre it’s playing in, all while delivering biting social commentary, and all done with a wink and a smile. MASSEDUCTION was a fantastic piece of art that shows that she is not only entirely worthy of those Bowie comparisons, but that she may just deserve her own spot right along side him.
Runner-ups
Trailer of the Month
This chilling new trailer for the upcoming film based on the graphic novel based on the teenage years of one of America’s most infamous serial killers looks like it will not only live up to the high praise it’s been getting on the festival circuit, but that it might just deliver a career defining role for a new star in the making. For someone’s life that’s already been picked to pieces down to the most minute details, this still looks like another hauntingly compelling look at the makings of a disturbed mind. Perfectly nails the tone of something just being ‘off.’
Runner-ups
Video of the Month
Everything about St. Vincent just oozes “Bowie” (in a good way) and you needn’t look any further than her video for “Los Ageless” for evidence to back that up. It’s a highly stylish video whose bright pastel colors, styling, and overall aesthetics evoke that ’80s pop feel so evident in the song, and the striking imagery thrown throughout perfectly drives home her biting social commentary. One of the most visually arresting music videos you’ll see all year, she really nailed it with this one.
Runner-ups
