In 2011 Annie Clark, or St Vincent, garnered a significant amount of attention after releasing Strange Mercy; an album that made its way on to numerous year-end lists.
In 2011 Annie Clark, or St Vincent, garnered a significant amount of attention after releasing Strange Mercy; an album that made its way on to numerous year-end lists.
Its been 3 years since her last solo effort and its clear Clark has gone through some changes. The most visible change would be her new bleached hair and ghost-like appearance. However, its in her latest album where we can really hear how she is growing as an artist and carving out a distinguishable sound in the Indie Rock world.
Clark started her career with the Polyphonic Spree in 2003, she joined Sufjan Stevens in 2006 and, more recently, she released Love This Giant, a collaborative album with Talking Heads front man David Byrne.
Her experiences with these acts have likely shaped her sound but on this new self-titled release, St Vincent’s core style remains intact. Whether it be a punchy lo-fi guitar riff under Clark’s soft vocals, or electronics paired with more natural sounds, Clark’s music has always had an element of contrast. This could be due to Clark’s unique blend of psych-rock, dream-pop and chamber rock. St Vincent’s music can be anything from whimsical to aggressive to lucid.
Like any St Vincent release Strange Mercy has its wild moments, but this Self-Titled release makes the sophomore release sound docile in comparison. Clark’s new record is significantly more cacophonous. The Guardian’s Dave Simpson writes “synths plink and plonk in dramatic ways, woozily distorted vocals jostle with heavy drum beats and jamming guitars.” The opening track Rattlesnake is a perfect example of how St Vincent’s music has evolved into something more mind-bending.
Despite the large palette of sounds on this new record, it’s apparent that Clark is still very interested in being a guitarist. Guitar makes up a large portion of the record and it’s what gives this album it’s teeth. Annie Clark’s groovy angular riffs and crunchy lo-fi effects are all over this album. The track “Birth in Reverse” features some of her most technically impressive guitar work and gives the track a very spunky and fervent feel.
Clark has always been known for her acrobatic guitar work but on this record she explores what she can do vocally as well. Her soothing vocals and soaring choruses return on many of the tracks. One example of this vocal range is the brooding and sexy “Prince Johnny.” Another might be the dreamy madonna-esq “I prefer your love.” Clark seems most comfortable singing serene ballads but asserts herself when the instrumentation calls for it. The latter half of “Huey Newton” features Clark delivering very raw almost growling vocal lines “entombed in a shrine of zeros and ones” over a distorted guitar riff.
Clark’s vocals aren’t the only thing which has become more animated. The lyrics on St. Vincent attract as much attention. There’s a sort of surreal aspect to Clark’s word-smithing, especially on tracks like “Huey Newton” where she sings (Feelings, Flash Cards / Fake Knife, Real ketchup.) Most of the lyrics are cryptic or esoteric but thats not to say you can’t derive meaning from them.
When Clark sings (I want all of your mind / People turn the TV on it looks just like a window) on Digital Witness, you can’t help but hear the commentary on our increasingly digital lives.
These futuristic theme are echoed throughout the new release. The entire album is substantially more digital sounding then St Vincent’s previous work. Clark recently spoke to NPR about the new album and said “It’s all organic sounds; it’s all people playing in a room for the most part, especially the rhythm section. But the sounds get processed to the point where they sound inorganic, so you get kind of the best of both worlds: You get the feel of a human, but the sound of a machine.”
Throughout the album there are references to technology, the internet, and even religion. Some of Clark’s personal experiences even find a place on this record, for instance the song “Rattlesnake” details Clark’s encounter with a rattlesnake while she went for a nude hike. “Huey Newton” is about her alleged “ambien trip” in a hotel room in Helsinki. Clark’s misadventures have no doubt influenced the record as St. Vincent is her most experimental work yet.
Although her last effort Strange Mercy was an overall more cohesive album, this self titled release shows that Clark isn’t going to settle for one sound and she seems determined to keep evolving musically to earn herself a spot among indie-rock stalwarts.
You can stream the full album via NPR first listen.
