But even under all those layers, she still pulls it off time and time again. There’s something kind of genius in how disorienting all of this is.Īnnie Clark’s willingness to play with fucked-up sounds, dark concepts and odd arrangements could lead one to believe that she doesn’t write perfect pop songs. “Marrow” leans more toward the dirty and menacing side of things, with Clark showing the slightest bit of restraint before the song erupts into a nasty noise-funk groove beneath her refrain, “ H-E-L-P, help me, help me.” Saxophone and guitar are intertwined in a distorted mess of sound that it’s hard to tell the two apart. It’s at once noisy, fantastical, whimsical and grim.
So maybe more like Kate Bush with an assist from Sonic Youth.Īctor is a weird record. Listen a little closer, however, and it’s Annie Clark’s fretwork that underscores this grand art-pop production. But “Now, Now” is as grand and glorious a statement as Bush in her prime, its ethereal atmosphere, big drums and haunting backing vocals like something out of Hounds of Love. Vincent’s songs sound nothing like Kate Bush and because Bush’s influence began to become more apparent in unlikely places (see: Big Boi, Das Racist). That proved short-lived, both because most of St. Vincent’s debut album suggested in part that a young generation of songwriters with a heavy Kate Bush influence had arrived. Released within a year of a similarly strong debut from the UK’s Bat for Lashes, St. This would also make a great live set-just throwing that out there. Vincent songs (chosen by my own personal preference rather than an arbitrary number system or consensus tally), arranged in playlist form. For now, here’s a list of the 19 best St.
With six albums and various other singles, she has more than enough material for a best-of collection right now, though that list will only grow longer. Couple that with the 10th anniversary of her 2009 album Actor and the time seemed perfect to take an overview of her career and highlight her best songs. She’s one of the best guitar players in rock music today, which is impressive enough on its own, though she’s also a lot more than that: An outstanding songwriter, conceptual visionary and, like her influences in Bowie and Prince, constantly evolving.Īt the beginning of the year, Sleater-Kinney shared a picture on social media announcing their new album, along with the next phase of St. And, of course, her virtuosic guitar playing. Back in 2007, when she made her debut with Marry Me (named for Maeby Funke’s catchphrase on Arrested Development), Annie Clark created an elaborate sonic world built on a diverse array of influences and elaborate arrangements. Vincent’s never operated on a small scale.