Picture Emiliana Torrini getting together with Modest Mouse and then
throw in a lot of fuzzy bass and the occasional abrasive guitar and you
start to get what St. Vincent`s new album `Actor` sounds like. Annie
Clark`s (formerly of The Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens) follow-up
to 2007`s `Marry Me`
was co-produced by Clark and John
Congleton (Modest Mouse, The Thermals, Polyphonic Spree). Annie Clark
wrote and arranged Actor`s
11 songs and
sings, plays guitar, bass, and keys. She also has help form the likes
of Hideaki Aomori (Sufjan Stevens), Alex Sopp (Björk, Philip
Glass), and an improved rhythm section that includes Midlake`s
McKenzie Smith
and Paul Alexander. Did I mention she also has a full orchestra too?
The
album opener `The Strangers` sums up a lot of the album with its mix
of old timey feel, classical arrangements and random distortion, a nice
mix of old and new styles. "Actor Out Of Work` has a Lo-fi vibe going
on while `Morrow` has an almost Bowie-esque feel to it (very much like
a female ` The Hearts Filthy Lesson`). `Laughing With A Mouthful Of
Blood` has a much happier to feel to it than the title implies while
`The Party` and `The Bed` sound warm, fuzzy and almost cinematic and
would be great to play on rainy days while you think fondly about days
gone by.
Annie Clark has some serious talent (and has been garnering a lot
of buzz lately) and if you didn`t notice it with her last album, you
sure as hell will stand up and notice now. If Clark has grown this much
since her last album, I can`t wait to hear what she does next. With her
impressive ability and refusal to stick to any one genre, St. Vincent
is truly a band to watch.
Phil Russell (View Original Article)