In an unexpected collaboration between St Vincent (AKA Anne Clark) and Yoshiki of X Japan fame, the pair revisit standout track New York off her critically acclaimed 2017 art pop album MASSEDUCTION in a classical orchestral reimagining of the song.

Yoshiki’s takes the idiosyncratic elements of the original song and rearranges it into an extremely befitting orchestral ballad, retaining the song’s most memorable motifs and its emotional core. In stark contrast to the simple keys, synth embellishments and driving bass drum of original, Yoshiki’s take feels more reserved and deliberate, yet a whole lot bigger, introducing pleasantly dynamic piano arrangements paired with swelling strings. Clark’s vocal performance and lyrics still impresses and resonates as well as it did those 3 years ago. An emotional tribute to the loss of David Bowie and Leonard Cohen in 2016, the song can also be interpreted as a beautiful, rousing heartbreak ballad in its own right (“I have lost a hero/ I have lost a friend/ But for you, darling/ I’d do it all again”).

With all her recent collaborations (such as production work on Sleater-Kinney’s The Centre Won’t Hold and a remix album headed by Russian DJ and producer Nina Kraviz), and such an off the wall collaboration with Yoshiki working so well, it’s an exciting thought to wonder who else Clark will collaborate with in the near future.

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