Best of 2011: St. Vincent - "Northern Lights"

Over the past few years there hasn't been a more exciting guitarist than Annie Clark. When you hear her wonky guitar licks and solos you envy her skill-level, when you hear the use of all her pedal and digital effects you gasp at her originality, and when you hear her expertly complex yet catchy compositions you realize there isn't a better pure guitarist and songwriter working today. The new record, Strange Mercy has exceeded all the already high expectations she set for herself, and is without a doubt her best collection of material to date. There isn't a dull track to speak of so it's hard to pick a favorite. I'm going with "Northern Lights," a momentous song with abrasive, mechanical guitar chaos and a production style that would fit right in with TV on the Radio's best work.

Another great song as an example of how sick her guitar skills are (skip to 1:38 if you don't wanna wait): "Surgeon"