With experience playing with the Polyphonic Spree, Sufjan Stevens, and Glenn Branca, Annie Clark is more than qualified enough to start writing her own loosely ornate, lush pop songs. But while Clark, who chooses to use the name St. Vincent here, does incorporate the frilly strings and horns, background choirs, and various keyboards (most of which she plays) of her past employers in Marry Me, her solo debut, she also has an edge to her -- something that shows up in the distorted electric guitar solos of "Jesus Saves, I Spend" or "Now, Now," the drums in the ominous "The Apocalypse Song" or "Your Lips Are Red," the growing intensity of the vocals "Landmines," the funereal waltz of the fantastic "Paris Is Burning" ("I write to give the war is over/Send my cinders home to mother," Clark sings sadly over electronic drumbeats and acoustic guitars) -- that pushes her away from the overly sentimental and quaint. Not that Marry Me doesn't have its fair share of happy love songs ("All My Stars Aligned," "What Me Worry?"), but the album isn't seeped in that kind of joyfulness that sings blind and insincere. It's an mix of good and bad, of light and dark, of the woman who purposefully sets up the obstacles she must get through to find her lover ("I'm crawling through landmines/I know 'cause I planted them," she sings disarmingly), of sweet self-deprecation ("Marry me, John, I'll be so good to you/You won't realize I'm gone"), honest and quirky and totally enticing. Clark is young enough that she's still able to retain that sense of wonder about the world without seeming naďve, and old enough that she can say things like "My hands are red from sealing your red lips" and you believe her. It's an orchestral record for those who prefer the simplistic, a darker one for those who prefer theirs twee, love songs for the scorned and sad songs for the content, an engaging and alluring combination that makes Marry Me nearly irresistible, and one of the better indie pop albums that's come around for a long time.
Annie Clarke—stage-named St. Vincent—writes the rarest of love songs, the kind that actually sound a lot like love. Sweet without being cloying, honest but not affected, "All My Stars Aligned" is one such tune from her smashing debut, Marry Me.The gliding arrangement of Clarke's jazz-informed chords and guest pianist Mike Garson's keys recall George Gershwin, of all people. Let's hear your ave
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St. Vincent. September 25th, 2008 at the Museum Of Fine Arts in Boston, MA.Last Thursday was free college night at the Museum Of Fine Arts in Boston, featuring two sets of music from St. Vincent. Annie Clark and her band played with ferocity and energy the entire night, tearing through songs off her debut album, Marry Me. The crowd was also treated to an awesome new song, tentatively called ...
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www.ilovestvincent.comwww.myspace.com/stvincentIn the dreamers' world, there exist those who listlessly yearn and those who lead with vision. In such a case, St. Vincent (Annie Clark) falls into the latter category. A little awkward in a whole lot of beautiful, Annie's debut album, Marry Me, may not suit everyone, but it certainly offers enough satisfaction for the casual listener. With two EPs...
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Man what a beautiful album this is. So refreshing. Came out in July '07. St. Vincent is Annie Clark. She's worked with Glenn Branca's 100 Guitar Orchestra, she was the bassist and backing vocalist for Polyphonic Spree's _Fragile Army_, and she was in Sufjan Stevens's touring band. She's a multi-instrumentalist and provided many aspects of instrumentation on _Marry Me_. People are comparin...
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I've been hiding underground for the past few months but I'm writing this post to prove that, yes, I am still alive and still rocking out. ;) My latest auditory discovery is *St. Vincent*, aka Annie Clark. Her album Marry Me was released in early July. It's full of wonderfully dark and cleverly written indie pop songs that showcase Clark's hauntingly beautiful voice. The title track is definite...
More >
If I told you this was a triphop song, I don't think you'd get truly suspicious until about 0:55. And then you'd think, "Wait a minute... didn't this lady play guitar for Sufjan and Polyphonic Spree and stuff?" And maybe you'd wonder if she listened to a lot of Kate Bush and Peter Gabriel growing up. And show tunes.(My other top picks from this album have already been posted-- the "St. Vincent ...
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Man what a beautiful album this is. So refreshing. Came out in July '07. St. Vincent is Annie Clark. She's worked with Glenn Branca's 100 Guitar Orchestra, she was the bassist and backing vocalist for Polyphonic Spree's _Fragile Army_, and she was in Sufjan Stevens's touring band. She's a multi-instrumentalist and provided many aspects of instrumentation on _Marry Me_. People are comparin...
More >
[St. Vincent - All My Stars Aligned - 3:47]I read the signsI got all my stars alignedMy amulets, my charmsI set all my false alarmsSo I'll be someoneWho won't be forgottenI've got a questionAnd you've got the answer.I'll do a dance to make the rain comeSmile to keep the sky from falling down down down downCollect the love that I've been givenBuild a nest for us to sleep in hereYou know it's rea...
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Shaping up to be a good musical weekend in Hollywood...Friday night @ The WilternThe National'Abel'and St Vincent'These Days'(look at her eyes...SWOON...i am in love...again)Saturday night @ The TroubadorLow'Monkey
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Let me introduce you my dear music quality tester:He's brown, short, fat, cute, and has for best friends my spot of the couch, a heart-shaped red pillow, newspaper and me (duh).^+Note:+ What I'm about to confide here is simply one mere fact I occasionally do. No animals nor CDs were injured (yet).^DOG MUSIC THERAPY - *WHAT’S THAT?* Basically, it's one fine moment where I spend some quality time.
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How fortunate are they who have met her! How blessed are the people whom she has worked with! How dreamy-eyed am I whenever I hear Annie's voice. (I do fall in love too easily - vocally in love)Of course choosing for oneself a name which sounds so masculine would not agree with many a soul. But re-christening oneself after the saint of wine making or if your prefer a Caribbean island is perhaps...
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Annie Clarke—stage-named St. Vincent—writes the rarest of love songs, the kind that actually sound a lot like love. Sweet without being cloying, honest but not affected, "All My Stars Aligned" is one such tune from her smashing debut, Marry Me.The gliding arrangement of Clarke's jazz-informed chords and guest pianist Mike Garson's keys recall George Gershwin, of all people. Let's hear your ave
More >
The elusive second chance.... How often have we failed to impress at first and wished for a fresh start? If you are like me, plenty of times. I take a while to get to know; I'm shy. But a lot of people are this way. What about music then? Isn't music just as complex as people are? I have to think the answer is yes. So why am I so quick to judge it at times? I should know better.A while...
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If I told you this was a triphop song, I don't think you'd get truly suspicious until about 0:55. And then you'd think, "Wait a minute... didn't this lady play guitar for Sufjan and Polyphonic Spree and stuff?" And maybe you'd wonder if she listened to a lot of Kate Bush and Peter Gabriel growing up. And show tunes.(My other top picks from this album have already been posted-- the "St. Vincent ...
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I'm addicted what can I say. Here are a few new/semi-new artists and then some older gems.St. Vincent - These Days(Jackson Browne cover)This track appears on their new album "Proof of Youth," due out in October.The Go! Team - Doing it RightThis one's got it all: neo-Spector-esque girl group? checkCatchy song? checkRuss Meyer homage? umm checkThe Pipettes - Pull ShapesThe Incredible String Band ...
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Superbusy with school and a possible new comic gig, so haven't spent much time here at all lately. Apologies for that. A couple of things though:- I read this on Warren Ellis' almost daily emails to his list. For those who don't know, Warren Ellis is one of the most celebrated comic book writers of this generation (Transmetropolitan, Planetary). In his list he sends out random thoughts about an...
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www.ilovestvincent.comwww.myspace.com/stvincentIn the dreamers' world, there exist those who listlessly yearn and those who lead with vision. In such a case, St. Vincent (Annie Clark) falls into the latter category. A little awkward in a whole lot of beautiful, Annie's debut album, Marry Me, may not suit everyone, but it certainly offers enough satisfaction for the casual listener. With two EPs...
More >
I've been hiding underground for the past few months but I'm writing this post to prove that, yes, I am still alive and still rocking out. ;) My latest auditory discovery is *St. Vincent*, aka Annie Clark. Her album Marry Me was released in early July. It's full of wonderfully dark and cleverly written indie pop songs that showcase Clark's hauntingly beautiful voice. The title track is definite...
More >
Here are 6 live videos from St. Vincent's performance in Minneapolis, MN on July 24th, 2007. This was an amazing set and these videos turned out stunningly. If you like St. Vincent you'll love these videos. And if you haven't heard of St. Vincent, you're about to. Songs featured include: Now Now, Marry Me, Landmines, Bang Bang, Your Lips Are Red, and Paris Is Burning.http://scheduletwo.com/vide...
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St. Vincent performs 'Now Now' live from 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis, MN , July 24, 2007. shot and edited by scheduletwo.com. More videos (in higher quality) from this set can be found at scheduletwo.com
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The new video for St. Vincent's "Jesus Saves, I Spend" Directed by Andy Bruntel and Bucky Fukumoto. What do people think?
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Now, Now |
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| 2 Jesus Saves, I Spend |
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| 3 Your Lips Are Red |
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| 4 Marry Me |
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| 5 Paris Is Burning |
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| 6 All My Stars Aligned |
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| 7 The Apocalypse Song |
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| 8 We Put a Pearl in the Ground |
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| 9 Landmines |
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| 10 Human Racing |
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| 11 What Me Worry? |
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Click to purchase…
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 "Marry Me")
