Strange Mercy

Description

St. Vincent, the nom-de-stage of Annie Clark, releases the new album, Strange Mercy. Having worked together on 2009s Actor, Clark reunited with producer John Congleton and recorded the album in her hometown of Dallas, TX at Elmwood Studios.

The eleven new tracks showcase Clarks gift for fusing the cerebral and the visceral, her melodically elegant arrangements packing hefty emotional punches.

Clarks virtuosity has been long recognised, and Strange Mercy finds St. Vincent redefining the idea of the guitar hero, utilising the instrument as a pointillist artist might wield a brush. Countless judiciously placed riffs and instrumental flares, each distinct and unique, cohere into grand tableaus. On Cruel, she elicits punchy bursts like an R&B horn section. Cheerleader froths and boils, with deep and fuzzy guitars bubbling up to the surface, while Surgeon
twirls about endlessly, Clarks vocals dancing amid a blizzard of notes.

Strange Mercy isnt an entirely solitary affair either, with Clark joined by a host of other musicians. Included among them are Grammy Award winning Bobby Sparks on mini Moog, clavinet, Arp and Wurlitzer, Midlakes MacKenzie Smith on drums and Daniel Hart on violin. Also contributing were Beck keyboardist and musical director Brian LeBarton, Evan Smith on woodwinds and Phil Palazzolo.

Since the release of Actor, Clark has collaborated with some of the biggest names in indie music. She recorded with Bon Ivers Justin Vernon for the Twilight: New Moon soundtrack, had her song The Strangers sampled by Kid Cudi (who she later performed with on Jimmy Fallons TV show), and has been working with David Byrne on a forthcoming project. More recently she appeared before a sold-out New York crowd at Michael Azzerads Our Concert Could Be Your Life event with a scintillating performance of Big Blacks Kerosene.