St. Vincent Live at Liberty Hall

"I think we have a couple of things in common," Annie Clark (better known as the seismic force behind St. Vincent) chirped to a crowd at Lawrence's Liberty Hall last night. Having ravaged her voice during the prior song "Cruel" to capture the abandonment of "so they took you and they left you," the light banter was a welcome break. But the opening up took a sharp 45 degree turn, as each shared experience Clark listed became more and more specific. By the time her final commonality came up, it was clear Clark was talking about herself. Even in opening up, Clark couldn't help but obfuscate.

Though that lesson should've been clear from the first wobbly beat of opener "Rattlesnake". Rather than step straight to the microphone Clark mechanically danced in place, relishing every sharp herk and jerk. When her voice does eventually sound its sullen and confused; wondering aloud "am I the only one in the only world?" Instead of tackling the question head on, Clark opted to run away on the back of a frenetic, gut busting guitar solo. Clark's decision to let her guitar do the talking became a common occurrence on the night. When she found herself being carried off by "Surgeon"'s electronically treated strings to an indignant silence from a former lover, she abolished that silence with a solo where hammered-on notes recalled a short-circuit. "Birth in Reverse" staved off the aforementioned "Cruel"'s malevolent tone with a guitar strut. Before anyone could overstay their welcome in Clark's "cosmic eternal party line" she was shooing them away with electronic histrionics. 

And if Clark's fretwork failed to keep the wolves at bay, her physical acrobats were more than up to the task. While Clark's guitar prowess deserves to be celebrated, her commanding stage-presence is equally laudable. In the King Crimson meets Timbaland groove of "Digital Witness" she adroitly conveyed the zombie-ism of the Social Media age with her own disaffected "yahs." Each time a dead-eyed utterance spilled out, you could hear a mouse clicking to another profile. St. Vincent standout "I Prefer Your Love"'s warm synth swoons gave Clark a bed to lie down upon. Sprawling out across the on-stage staircase, Clark became a 40s lounge singer, albeit one well-versed in futurism and sorcery.

Such sorcery was in full-effect for "Every Tear Disappears", which had Clark contorting to right angles to deliver the sagely advice "a smile is more than showing teeth." When she openly interrogated "what about the pain?" you felt it yourself. "Prince Johnny"'s need to love yourself before you can love another seemed untenable as Clark collapsed to the floor and began to writhe around like Samara from The Ring. Clark previously commented on the song saying, ""Prince Johnny" is about a mixture of compassion and hopelessness that you feel for a friend who’s being very self-destructive, but you also know that you can’t save them, but you can’t cast any judgment because you’re equally self-destructive," and that desperation was clear with every wriggle. Finally, the schizoid vocals of "Bring Me Your Loves" were an ideal companion to Clark's frantic mind that was hung up on a former bf's belittlement. To exercise those relationship demons, she thrashed about the stage once more though it all felt in vein by the time the stage went dark. Physical aggression can't cure mental anguish.

However, anguish is best captured with little to no frill. Strange Mercy's agonizing title-track delivered a masterclass in stunning minimalism. Perched atop her digital ziggurat, Clark had only her guitar and a solitary spotlight to accompany her. There was no need for flailing guitar chords or twisting movements to highlight the desperation of telling someone "when you see me, wait." The crowd was silent as Clark snuck out to be with the lost boys she was chasing. For all of her obfuscation, Clark arrived at a desire we can all relate to: the desire to transcend your surroundings, to escape.

Setlist: 
1. "Rattlesnake"
2. "Digital Witness"
3. "Cruel"
4. "Birth in Reverse"
5. "Regret"
6. "Laughing with a Mouth of Blood"
7. "I Prefer Your Love"
8. "Pieta"
9. "Every Tear Disappears"
10. "Surgeon"
11. "Cheerleader"
12. "Prince Johnny"
13. "Year of the Tiger"
14. "Marrow"
15. "Huey Newton"
16. "Bring Me Your Loves"
17. "Northern Lights"
18. "Krokodil"

Encore:
19. "Strange Mercy"
20. "Your Lips Are Red"

"Del Rio"- St. Vincent

If the main narrative of Annie Clark's self-titled fourth album as St. Vincent was one of struggle, particularly struggling to escape the icy digital era, then bonus track "Del Rio" is the soundtrack to a weekend flight from the social-media madness. The sort where all cellphones are shut-off, the radio is turned to a hush, and honest conversation takes over.

Albeit, the conversation that frames the staticy "Del Rio" isn't the most idyllic variety available. The escape we hear isn't one of enjoyment, so much as it is necessity. "You told me I looked spent," St. Vincent exasperatedly warbles. The deliverer of this less than stellar news is an apparent "savior", one St. Vincent would gladly rush down to the river with if it meant redemption. And rush she does, all it takes is one simple look and she's afloat on an electronic river. But even in those restorative waters, there's still fear of "getting some strange looks back from the shore." Underpinned by an eerily downcast guitar figure, it's clear the fear is consuming. While social-media might be easy to shed, the mindset it puts you in is much more difficult to lose.

"Del Rio" is a bonus-track that apparently is only available as a B-Side to "Digital Witness" in Europe and on the Japanese version of St. Vincent.  



In Revue- 'St. Vincent' (St. Vincent)

As my tweets and snapchats will attest, I went to a house/techno show Friday night I was not made for. Nervously pacing past girls with fox tails, guys rocking yarmulkes, a few dreadlocked "tweakers" doing the splits I felt out of my element. I was lightly sweating, my ears were ringing, and my heart hurt from the colossal bass. All I had to do was yell "get off of my lawn!" and the transformation into a crotchety old butterfly would've been complete. That is not to say I couldn't comprehend or make sense out of what was going on. I love electronic music; it's a key staple of my daily music diet. However my consumption is generally done in seclusion. Rather than dance, I nod along and gradually drift off into whatever world the song conjures. Flailing wildly tends to stymie that process.

On Annie Clark's 4th studio LP as St. Vincent she sounds like a fish out of water, gasping for air in an alien desert. Clark says her previous St. Vincent LP Strange Mercy was all about "internal struggle" though St. Vincent does more than its fair-share of sparing. Similar to Arcade Fire's Reflektor, much of it concerns moving out of the digital-era, like the Kraftwerkian burbler "Rattlesnake" which Clark wrote after a commune with nature went awry. Second single "Digital Witness" taunts "this is no time for confessing," to remind us our online "voices" aren't as powerful as we pretend they are.

However, not everything revolves around 1's and 0'. There in the melodious slow roll of "Prince Johnny" is Annie Clark praying to "all to make me a real girl." Describing the effort, Clark commented: ""Prince Johnny" is about a mixture of compassion and hopelessness that you feel for a friend who’s being very self-destructive, but you also know that you can’t save them, but you can’t cast any judgment because you’re equally self-destructive." Hidden amongst the choral vocals and steady drum-machine ticks, there's the age-old crisis of figuring out how to love yourself before you can love anyone else. "I Prefer Your Love" with its wine-drunk drumbeat is a string-heavy paean to Clark's mother who was temporarily ill last year. When we're younger, we often idolize our parents. We'd like to believe they're perfect. If anyone is immune to death's sting it's them. As our eyes grow more adult, we see that isn't the case.  Closing ballad "Severed Crossed Fingers" is Clark's most honest endeavor. She worries about being "humiliated by age, terrified of youth" as she alights on a bar-stool. The greatest fear of growing old isn't necessarily wrinkling, it's the concern you haven't left your mark. Instead of doing, you cross your fingers; hoping everything works out.

Of course when you possess the unmistakable talent Clark does, you don’t have to wish much. If a museum for "rock" guitar-players opened up, she'd be the first of her 2007 class to be inducted. Having spent years opening for the likes of: Television, Arcade Fire, Andrew Bird, and Xiu Xiu; St. Vincent's style is an overlap of that diverse crowd. She claims Television's jazz-inspired play, Bird and AF's baroque dramatics, and Xiu Xiu's loose-cannon crunch. "Birth in Reverse" churns constantly without ever growing staid. In the chorus break, St. Vincent sends riffs flying off at geometrically impossible angles. "Regret" is impeccable for entirely antithetical reasons. Here she finds a crackling part, riding it until it collapses. Her playing can also be ferocious while keeping focused. "Huey Newton" comfortably rests on a bed of twinkling electronics before being awoken by a marauding guitar. Early in the browsing Wikipedia at 3AM entry, she breathlessly coos "toothless, but got a big bark," a threat you don't take into proper consideration until that spine-shaking moment.

In fact, St. Vincent is an ever-flowing stream of being "shook." "Psychopath" captures a scene many lovers play through when they realize how much they depend on one another. "Keep me in your soft sights, when all of the rest have moved on," St. Vincent begs from under a blanket of soaring strings and acoustic shuffling. No matter how in love they are, few can avoid freaking out upon the revelation. St. Vincent has a screwdriver for a guitar to keep her company, but others aren't so lucky. Some like the dead-eyed zombies of "Digital Witness" only have humming TVs to help out. Others see their tears drowned out by Galaga walls of noise. And there are those "trapped" at an event they'd love to leave. Physical or digital, the struggle is the same.

"Digital Witness"

"Prince Johnny"

 

"Digital Witness"- St. Vincent

They are plenty of adjectives you can bandy about when discussing Annie Clark's music as St. Vincent. Angular, pecuilar, and crestfallen all come to mind. One that would most certainly not register, and leave more than a few people scratching their heads is "funky". Yet that's precisely what new cut "Digital Witness" can be described as. Clark's second release from the forthcoming St. Vincent, "Digital Witness" marks a major left turn from "Birth in Reverse". Where the latter track still contained the motorik drum beats and guitar-nerd pyrotechnics, "Digital Witness" imagines what would happen if Television reunited and had their comeback album produced by Timbaland. Digitally treated horns lock into an unshakable groove and Clark plays the role of dance-leader perfectly; repeatedly trilling "give me all of your mind, I want all of your mind." Guitars still ripple in the song, though they're largely maligned to a background role. "People turn their TV's on and throw them out the window," a key passage cryptically reads. The old model may work just fine, but why not try something new?

St. Vincent is out February 25 through Republic/Loma Vista. Check out the tracklist below, along with the song.

St. Vincent:

1. “Rattlesnake”
2. “Birth In Reverse”
3. “Prince Johnny”
4. “Huey Newton”
5. “Digital Witness”
6. “I Prefer Your Love”
7. “Regret”
8. “Bring Me Your Loves”
9. “Psychopath”
10. “Every Tear Disappears”
11. “Severed Crossed Fingers”

What's New(s)?

Flying Lotus drops outtakes comp

It's the season of giving and it seems electronic-producer Flying Lotus is finally getting in on the festivities. Taking to Twitter this morning, FlyLo announced he'd be dropping a ZIP File. That file is out now, in the form of an outtakes mix entitled Ideas+drafts+loops. Featuring 24 tracks, the mix incorporates collaborations with: Earl Sweatshirt, MF Doom, Shabazz Palaces, Captain Murphy, The Underachievers, Baths, and more. Also included is a remix of Kanye West's bracing Yeezus cut "Black Skinhead", which includes an appearance by frequent partner-in-crime Thundercat. 

"Some be like "aww flylo why don't u make stuff like ur old stuff'..thats what this moment is for," the producer wrote in speaking to his motivations for the release. You can download the release here, and if you're one of those people who prefers the "old stuff" enjoy the blissful 2010 cut "Mmmhmm" featuring the aforementioned Thundercat. 

 

"Lost" Johnny Cash album out next year

This coming March, an album of "lost" Johnny Cash recordings will be released through Columbia/Legacy. Entitled Out Among the Stars, the LP features 12 tracks discovered by Cash's song John Carter Cash in 2012. Among the work included here are two duets with wife June Carter Cash and an additional duet with fellow Highwaymen Waylon Jennings. Additionally, the album includes two self-penned Cash tracks entitled "Call Your Mother" and "I Came To Believe". 

Produced by frequent Tammy Wynette and George Jones Billy Sherrill, Out Among the Stars was recorded between 1981 and 1984 at Nashville's Columbia Studios and 1111 Sound Studios. The restorative efforts were undertaken by John Carter Cash, along with co-producer Steve Berkowitz, and Cash collaborators like Marty Stuart. Out Among the Stars is available for pre-order here, and while you wait for the release date to arrive, enjoy a clip of Cash performing the iconic "Folsom Prison Blues".

 



St. Vincent announces North American tour

St. Vincent just announced a new self-titled album yesterday and today that news is followed up with the announcement of a 2014 North American tour. Starting February 26th, the after St. Vincent drops, Annie Clark and company will debut in New York City before weaving across the country and wrapping up in Buffalo in mid-April.

Check out the tour dates below and hear the excellent "Birth in Reverse", our first taste of St. Vincent, out February 25th through Republic/Loma Vista.

Tour Dates:
2/26 New York, NY - Terminal 5
2/27 Boston, MA - House of Blues
2/28 Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer
3/1 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
3/4 Saxapahaw, NC - The Haw River Ballroom
3/5 Asheville, NC - Orange Peel
3/7 Nashville, TN - Marathon Music Works
3/8 Atlanta, GA - The Tabernacle
3/10 Houston, TX - House of Blues
3/14 Dallas, TX - House of Blues
3/18 Phoenix, AZ - Orpheum Theatre
3/19 San Diego, CA - House of Blues
3/21 Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
3/22 Oakland, CA - Fox Theater
3/24 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
3/25 Vancouver, British Columbia - The Commodore Ballroom
3/26 Seattle, WA - Moore Theatre
3/28 Salt Lake City, UT - The Depot
3/29 Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
3/31 Lawrence, KS - Liberty Hall
4/1 Omaha, NE - Sokol Auditorium
4/3 Minneapolis, MN - State Theatre
4/4 Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall
4/5 Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre
4/6 Detroit, MI - Majestic Theatre
4/8 Cincinnati, OH - Bogart's
4/9 Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall
4/10 Cleveland, OH - House of Blues
4/11 Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE
4/12 Buffalo, NY - Ashbury Hall

 

Check back in tomorrow for the more of the newest in new(s) and follow @AllFreshSounds on Twitter for updates throughout the day.

"Birth in Reverse"- St. Vincent

 

St. Vincent's last solo-album, 2011's Strange Mercy was a beguiling experience. In covering the record for 2011's year-end list, I wrote the album took the smiling face of guitar-driven pop and "sent it to another planet, bloodying it up in the process." "Champagne Year" teased celebration as a new year began and instead ruminated on past mistakes. The promise of "it's going to be a champagne year" delivered by a subdued Annie Clark was empty. Much of Strange Mercy took a similar tract, giving us the blissful stutter-step of "Chloe in the Afternoon" only to tell the tale of a high-class prostitute grown existentially bored. If one descriptor can be appended to St. Vincent's "unclassifiable style", it's her own notion of "Laughing with a Mouth of Blood." 

"Birth in Reverse", from St. Vincent's forthcoming self-titled release, continues this stark dichotomy. Clark assures us it's an "ordinary day" in the opening lines, but couches this pledge of normality in squalling guitar antics. She can't keep her inner-guitar nerd at bay here, while dogs bark and birds chirp she aims to stab the listener straight in the heart with her jagged guitar lines. "You can say that I'm sane", Clark rattles off in the chorus, though all this discord says otherwise. Just before the drums drop out of their steady gallop and the guitar begins to whirr like a chainsaw, Clark delivers the track's most honest line "it's my report from the edge." If we learn anything from the report, it's that St. Vincent won't stop masking the strange as "normal" anytime soon.

St. Vincent is out February 25 through Republic/Loma Vista. Check out the tracklist below, along with the song.


St. Vincent:

1. “Rattlesnake”
2. “Birth In Reverse”
3. “Prince Johnny”
4. “Huey Newton”
5. “Digital Witness”
6. “I Prefer Your Love”
7. “Regret”
8. “Bring Me Your Loves”
9. “Psychopath”
10. “Every Tear Disappears”
11. “Severed Crossed Fingers”