St. Vincent - a.k.a. Annie Clark;

i am reminded slightly of late-period scott walker

'black rainbow' through 'laughing with a mouth of blood' and then 'marrow' is, like, incredible

every time i hear 'Save Me From What I Want' i want it to carry on into LFO's 'Loch Ness'

Ha, this is exactly what I meant way upthread -- most of the terms you'd use to describe her music really do risk making her sound like "bearded American indie stuff beloved on National Public Radio." And to be honest with you, I would actually not argue that she's totally categorically distinct from that stuff. I really don't think she's that far away, unfashionable thought that might sound to some people. The difference is mostly just that she's a billion times more interesting and better at it than most. Artier, more graceful, more musical, better with mood, more imaginative, etc.

^^ One benefit of this is that anytime someone who likes popular indie along those lines asks you for a recommendation, St. Vincent is something good and interesting but exactly in the right vicinity for them to like. I do wish her records sounded as good as she does live, though.

There's a lot to be said for doing something a billion times more interestingly and effectively than most! God, this is good stuff. This is what is meant by the word 'realised' in reference to albums. Also, 'uncategorisable'. Add 'The Neighbors' and possibly 'The Strangers' to my list of holy shit this is fucking amazing

This is indeed the sort of album which should appeal to a fairly wide market of at least slightly committed sonic enthusiasts. A recommendation as likely to work on me as on someone whose taste rarely gets more leftfield than Portishead, or someone who has completely renounced mainstream pop for Steely Dan or whatever.

I continue to be baffled by the love for this one, I still vastly prefer her debut to this one. I keep returning to it in the hopes of discovering what everyone else seems to be hearing in it but, nope, still just decent sounding to me.

Ha, this is exactly what I meant way upthread -- most of the terms you'd use to describe her music really do risk making her sound like "bearded American indie stuff beloved on National Public Radio." And to be honest with you, I would actually not argue that she's totally categorically distinct from that stuff. I really don't think she's that far away, unfashionable thought that might sound to some people. The difference is mostly just that she's a billion times more interesting and better at it than most. Artier, more graceful, more musical, better with mood, more imaginative, etc.

I'm sure most would say I'm way off base, but I hear a lot of Kate Bush in St. Vincent (at least in the lead single from the new album).

The "Paint a black hole blacker" bits in "The Stranger" seem like an obvious Bushism.

I recently caught her performing on Austin City Limits and it was beautiful. The music had a very slow weight that reminded me of many things, L'Altra maybe. I listened to the album again and was mostly bored. Maybe her next album will caputre the magic of her live performances. Even her vocals are the album aren't as beautiful as they are live.

If she's that much better live than on record, I need to see her live badly, because her records are awesome. Prefer the new one to the debut, but only got the debut on Saturday. Seems a little tamer.

I would say that her records are v v compressed compared to live -- this can be true of a great many records v. live situations

i don't hear anything beardy NPR dude about her music at all except that occasionally there are maybe hints of old timeyness to it - but it's much more urban (as opposed to rural, beardy, backwoodsy) sounding than that. glimpses of 1920s glamour rather than that old tyme music hall thing. she is, at her best, totally uncategorisable in the same way that classic old skool 4ad was: haunting, evocative, otherworldly and yet visceral and teeth and bones and blood and flesh rather than filmy ghosts

kate bush comparisons are so o_0 wtf becoz yes, all otherworldly gurl singer-songwriter auteurs must be cut from the same cloth and that is the ETHEREAL staitjacket oh yessss

I would say that her records are v v compressed compared to live

makes sense, you can hear it on the 'Marrow' intro where her "reach the parts that need oilin and fixin" line is a bit too low, quiet and lost in the choral haze.

closest comparison i hear is suzanne vega but honestly i tend to think that a lot for female singers with flatter, less emotive voices and avante-garde leanings

kate bush comparisons are so o_0 wtf becoz yes, all otherworldly gurl singer-songwriter auteurs must be cut from the same cloth and that is the ETHEREAL staitjacket oh yessss

No, it's not that. What Paul in Santa Cruz heard is the best example of what I heard: "The "Paint a black hole blacker" bits in "The Stranger" seem like an obvious Bushism."

Actually, I don't think I've heard another artist that I've thought sounds like Kate Bush.

(I should say that it's the way that portion of the song is arranged and sounds and maybe St. Vincent's delivery -- not the lyrics themselves -- that triggered the comparison for me)

i guess you could say some kate comparisons are more valid than others...

it just seems like such a lazy bad "female, a bit mad, slightly technological" reference point that it's come to be meaningless

Who else is supposed to sound like Kate Bush?

come on, i've heard it used to describe everyone from florence & the machine to voice of the sodding beehive

(anyway i don't actually care about this enough to argue - if it makes more people come around to st.vincent then fine use whatever terminology you want)

Who else is supposed to sound like Kate Bush?

Bat for Lashes, Florence and the Machine, a couple of songs w/female vocals on the last M83 album (e.g., "Up").

Patrick Wolf sounds like Kate Bush occasionally, and very deliberately. Also dresses like her from time to time too. He has a penis.

But yeah, I was saying to Em the other day, I don't know how I'd describe St. Vincent. At all.

Who else is supposed to sound like Kate Bush?

Blue Roses

one sad note - the album is solid gold awesome super brilliant for 7 tracks, but then loses momentum in the final stretch...'just the same but brand new' is really good, but 'the bed' and 'the party' slightly sabotage the flow

sheer martial panic of the slightly 'lonesome tears'-esque ending of 'black rainbow' into the similarly rising but this time utterly sweet rising motif of 'laughing...' = incredible feat of sequencing

erm delete the second 'rising'

The Party has such beautiful lyrics though, Louis.

Especially when she stops singing words.

i realise i'm pretty late to this, but having discovered this through the ilx albums poll a couple of months ago, i can safely say it's the most played thing i;ve had in the house this year... jesus is it already mid-April? I'll be 60 before I know it.

Annie has certain co-lineage w/ Sufjan; what mighst bequeathest if thee parturitate? Immediate immaculate and blinding white-hot winged ascension?

Tonight's Austin City Limits (http://video.pbs.org/video/1697650631/) demonstrates an axe-maven extraordinaire with, yes, the red lips and white skin of the aforementioned "minx" entrenched. It's all true; and i love her for it.

God save St. V!

the Sufjanphonic Squee

i want to eye fuck annie clark while she makes fuzzy noises with her electric guitar

Well it seems you've come to the right pl

Out of everything I discovered through last year's albums poll, "Actor" is the album that I come back to time and again. Absolutely amazing. Had it on constant rotation for 12 months and I still come back for more.

(realises he posted something similar only a few months back).

Set me on fire.

Is there a new album coming soon? Please!

holy shit shes awesome

Really excited for a new album from her, but I'm sure I'm the only person on ILM that thought the last one was a minor disappointment. It seemed to be universally loved, but I wasn't as excited by it as I was by her debut.

The last one wasn't a disappoint, but it wasn't nearly as entrancing as Marry Me.

that big black cover, oh yeah.

i want to eyefuck her while she makes fuzzy noises with her pedals

So great.

Wow. Yeah. "eyefucking". Great.

And you guys have a problem with how *I* talk about, say, Patrick Wolf on this board?

Wow. Yeah. "eyefucking". Great.

And you guys have a problem with how *I* talk about, say, Patrick Wolf on this board?

― Karen D. Tregaskin, Tuesday, May 24, 2011 5:25 AM (9 hours ago) Bookmark

I have absolutely no problem with how you talk about Patrick Wolf, so long as you agree that he's mind-blowingly pretty and totally fuckworthy.

But, yeah, while Annie Clark is v. attractive, the proper focus should totally be on the fact that she is a total musical genius.

I'd assumed DL was going "great!" at the cover rather than the weirdo posting above him.

I should probably go back to the last album, I liked it but it never quite resonated with me.

after seeing this thread i relistened to the last one again. i loved it before, still loving it.

Aw, Alex, I've come around on Patrick Wolf, but this isn't the thread for that.

I've just realised I've never actually listened to Marry Me. Which is completely remiss considering how much I loved Actor.

So it's like I get a brand new album now instead of having to wait for one!

Yee haw this is great

Between this and Chelsea Wolfe the good '90s are back

I loved St Vincent but the last album was just plain bad and really put me off ever being excited about anything new so I wont be pre-ordering this time (though I haven't played that new song yet) I really hope she's back on form though.

well that was annoyingly not awful, ugh

It is quite Peej-y to my ears.

― Piedie Gimbel, Thursday, February 29, 2024 7:49 PM (three hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

way too perfect

with st. vincent's music since the s/t... i think it probably doesn't hold its own next to its influences, all else being equal

except that all else _isn't_ equal. she's always _had_ to be a visual performer. she's a woman who plays rock guitar. the success of a woman in rock is in large part measured by how much her fans want to fuck her.

which is a lot of where my unease about liking her music came from, early on. i remember seeing her in '11 or '12 in the egyptian room with my ex, and my ex complaining about all of the _guys_ there. (my ex had a bit of a misandrist streak.) i didn't want to fuck her. i wanted to _be_ her.

i haven't wanted to be her, or anybody else but me, for a little while now. she's still something of a role model for me. she's queer, femme-presenting, neurodiverse-coded (it's always been in her _choreography_, the way she _moves_. a lot of david byrne in there.) the way she navigates those things, the way she presents herself to an audience...

and the way gender plays into it as well. singing about being a "broken man". some people would think of me as a "broken man" - not a woman, but a _mutilated_ man. a man who's had _irreversible damage_ done to him. is how some people would frame me. i genuinely think that's pretty funny. with st. vincent... well, she's a woman who plays rock guitar. doing that _does_ almost seem inherently gender non-conforming.

I'm getting Muse vibes from the new single. I was hoping for more after the disappointment of the last album, but this does nothing for me.

Kate very much otm

The track sounds totally generic, it’s like a mid-tier Lost Highway soundtrack song.

I'm getting Muse vibes from the new single.

haha can't unhear this

way to put me off even giving it a listen

“Broken Man” is the first thing I’ve heard since “Birth In Reverse” that I’m into - there’s a forward momentum that’s been missing since she went even more art rock/art project. Nice guitars too.

Second single "Flea" out today:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E65yRApR9UU