St. Vincent is one of my favorite musicians and let’s face it… she really is a solo act. I’ve seen her six times now and I’ve watched her evolve from literally a solo act, to having the same band for about three years, to her latest band which is mostly electronic. We get attached to our favorite musicians so sometimes it’s a bit odd to see them change. The show took place May 9 at Bogart’s with the awesome opening act, Shearwater.
Annie Clarke is one of my all time favorite guitarists. She is extremely talented and really leads the band with her angelic vocals and mind numbing guitar solos. She opened up her set with “Marrow” from her sophomore album Actor. While Annie played some numbers off of Actor, her set was largely made up of songs from her latest album Strange Mercy. She completely ignored her first album, Marry Me. As a long time St. Vincent fan I have to say this was pretty disappointing. However, it just reflects upon her changing persona as a musician. It’s hard to say her music is now more rock oriented because her band is mostly electronic but somehow it keeps a very edgy sound.
Her guitar playing is so amazing because it seems effortless. She barely touches her strings and yet the result is powerful and commanding. My favorite songs from Strange Mercy that she played include “Chloe in the Afternoon,” “Cheerleader,” and “Year of the Tiger.”
The best part of seeing Annie Clarke perform with her new band is that she did seemed way more relaxed and confident. This rockstar thing is getting easy for her! Hey Annie… if you ever need a bass player, I’d be more than happy to do the job!
