Ethereal Brooklyn goddess emerges as indie rock's newest darling.
St. Vincent sings like a divine woodland nymph. But she shreds like a demon from the netherworld. Welcome to the explosive, experimental genius of the multi-instrumentalist, née Annie Clark. The album kicks off with the excellent "The Strangers": amidst the choral vocals and woodwinds, one hardly notices the angry, sardonic words Clark spews out in her angelic voice. “Actor Out Of Work” sounds as if it by a female-fronted TV On the Radio, with its densely layered, heavily serrated guitars and artful use of reverb. Clark never allows her intricate musical arrangements to overshadow her awesomely nimble lyrics, managing to keep perfect equilibrium. Despite its grisly title, "Laughing With A Mouth Of Blood is her sweetest track: a romantic, spacey noise-pop gem. Actor is at times lush and bright, and at other times, sparse and macabre. Clark proves herself to be a mega-talented enigma, possessing both the charm and the chops to keep us guessing and to keep us hooked.
Grade: A-
Key Tracks: The Strangers, Actor Out Of Work, Laughing With A Mouth Of Blood
