THE ESSENTIAL ST. VINCENT: A Highly Subjective 12-Song Intro by Josie Naron
Like (hopefully) many of you, I’m a huge St. Vincent fan. I’ve liked every album Annie Clark has created, but for the St. Vincent newbie, tackling four albums (not even counting the collab album with David Byrne which should have been much better than it actually is) can be a daunting task. So, here’s an admittedly subjective list of the three best songs off each of Clark’s four albums: Marry Me, Actor, Strange Mercy, and St. Vincent. Marry Me 1. What Me Worry? 2. Landmines 3. All My Stars Aligned
Actor 4. Actor Out Of Work 5. Laughing With A Mouth of Blood 6. Just The Same But Brand New
Strange Mercy 7. Cruel 8. Northern Lights 9. Cheerleader
St. Vincent 10. Rattlesnake 11. Bring Me Your Loves 12. Prince Johnny
12
“All My Stars Aligned” was my first introduction to St. Vincent, and out of the songs on Marry Me, it’s the right one to start with. It perfectly encompasses Clark’s sound at the time of her debut album’s release: smooth vocals with a vaguely nostalgic quality coupled with subtle edgy lyrics. To me, Actor is Clark’s weakest album by far. However, “Laughing With A Mouth of Blood” is a hidden gem on an album that often falters when Clark relies on her voice as a crutch and by doing so, loses her signature guitar skills. This song overcomes that by blending Clark’s soft vocals with haunting lyrics that are 10/10 pure St. Vincent wistful morbidity. Strange Mercy is a perfect transitional album to highlight the shifting sound of St. Vincent. Clark’s first two albums lull the listener into a sense of complacency of what to expect, the signature Annie Clark soft vocals with a firm guitar backbone. “Cheerleader” shatters the listener’s expectations, introducing dramatic pauses and jarring chords that emphasize Clark’s growing strength as a musician. St. Vincent is without a doubt the strongest album Annie Clark has created, as any listener can clearly tell that Clark has come into her own, radiating an aura of newfound confidence on every song. “Rattlesnake” perfectly encompasses the new Clark and is the best intro song the album could have chosen. Annie Clark doesn’t politely let you know her sound has changed and your expectations should shift accordingly, she does the musical equivalent of throwing that fact in your face.
