Customer Reviews

Marry Me

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Before you sit down and listen to Annie Clark's (here known as St. Vincent) first solo album, "Marry Me," take a moment to look at the cover. Think to yourself, "What kind of music could this woman actually make?" Chances are, every answer that comes into your head is going to be somewhat accurate. "Marry Me" is filled with the kind of quirky pop music that helped Regina Spektor and My Brightest Diamond get noticed. As it turns out, Clark also has the distinction of being a member of The Polyphonic Spree on their most recent album as well as a member of Sufjan Stephens' touring band (much like My Brightest Diamond's Shara Worden). While all these credentials are well and good, it is the music that matters most. Fortunately, "Marry Me" is probably the strongest female solo album to debut in 2007!

The album starts off with the brilliantly composed "Now Now" in which a choir of childish vocals declare "You don't mean that, say you're sorry" just before Annie inserts "I'll make you sorry." Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the song is the mere fact that Clark took care of most of the instrumentation herself, as she does through most of the album. While multi-instrumentalists are a dime a dozen these days, few are able to blend the individual parts together in a way that seems so cohesive.

The humorously titled, "Jesus Saves, I Spend" features Christmas carol-esque "Bum bum bums" in the background, and even a few jingle bells for good measure. Here, Annie sings "While Jesus is saving, I'm spending all my grace on the rosy red power of lights on center stage" nonchalantly, adding to the carefree feel of the song almost as much as the floaty chipmunk vocals do (seriously). "Your Lips Are Red" takes a much more serious turn with a grinding guitar riff, haunting harp plucks and an incredibly eeire, yet undeniably cool string part. Clark's lyricism is once again displayed in full force as she near-growls "Your lips are red. My face is red from needing your red lips." Eventually, the song builds into a much brighter affair where Clark sounds almost identical to Shara Worden.

The title track "Marry Me" is another light pop song, this time sounding curiously like Feist. However, even amongst beat-keeping hand claps, the instrumentation is just as impressive as it has been. "Paris Is Burning" is absolutely amazing track, that finds Annie singing "I'm on your side where nobody is" over an almost waltz-like composition. The guitars here are absolutely brilliant, and the song is arguably one of the album's best. My personal favorite, however is the following track, "All My Stars Aligned." Listening to it, I imagine being completely weightless, blowing about in the clouds. The song is so dreamlike, so perfect, that it's hard to imagine Clark ever topping it. She asks, "What was your question?" before affirming "Love is the answer." Genius.

The second half of the album is just as beautiful as the first. "The Apocalypse Song" is an absolutely gorgeous pop song whose heavy orchestration is only overshadowed by it's WTF-inducing breakdown. But Clark doesn't disappoint, bringing the chorus back for another go before ending the song. Amidst the rest of "Marry Me," "We Put A Pearl In the Ground" seems entirely out of place. At just over a minute long, this simple, yet stunning piano solo doesn't really go with the string orchestration or guitars it follows. At the same time, however, it is undeniably charming, sounding like a heartbreaking lullaby. The song essentially serves as a prelude to "Land Mines," but it completely outshines that song, in my opinion.

The album wraps up with the quirky, yet catchy "Human Racing" and the completely charming "What Me Worry?" In it, Annie asks the question "Do I amuse you dear? Would you think me queer if while standing beside you, I opted instead to disappear?" It seems like no time at all before she does, and the album closes.

Annie Clark has completely blown me away with "Marry Me." This is not only the best female solo album of 2007, but one of the best I've heard in the last decade. At times she can sound like so many different artists (Norah Jones, Feist, My Brightest Diamond, Regina Spektor, etc.), but at the same time she maintains a uniqueness about her that is not only endearing, but entirely brilliant. St. Vincent is a name you'll want to remember, whether it's just a stage name or not. Listening to "Marry Me" is like opening your eyes to a brand new day and realizing that the world is full of possibilities. It is refreshing. It is amazing. It is completely and utterly unforgettable!

Recommended for fans of My Brightest Diamond, Sufjan Stevens, and anyone who is ready to be blown away!

Key Tracks:
1. "Your Lips Are Red"
2. "Paris Is Burning"
3. "All My Stars Aligned"
4. "The Apocalypse Song"
5. "We Put A Pearl In The Ground"

9 out of 10 Stars

I've followed Annie's career for several years and this is her best work yet. This is not Avril Lagvigne's cutesy pop. If that is what you want, then pass on this disc. Annie has blended a huge number of influences and distilled them into something truly unique. Her sound can't just be compared to 1 or 2 or 10 different artists. It is deep and complex yet simple and pure. This music for musicians and you will hear something new every time you listen. 5 Stars.

Once in a while, a new voice or sound comes seemingly out of nowhere, and this is certainly one of them. Amy Clark, the one-woman band behind St. Vincent, has been active in the music scene for years, including in the Polyphonic Spree, and now delivers her debut album.

"Marry Me" (12 tracks, 44 min,) brings eclectic sounds somewhat reminiscent of Feist, but with a different twist. A blazing "Now, Now" kicks things off. "Your Lips Are Red" reminds me of early Bjork. The title track is a pensive piano-driven 'ballad'. On "Paris Is Burning" you feel like you are transformed into to early Paris 1920s cabaret but with an electronic twist to it, just great. Other highlights include "The Apocalypse Song", reminding me of some Fiona Apple; the pensive "We Put a Pearl in the Ground"; and the closer, a jazzy-like "What Me Worry". In all, quite an impressive debut album, and I can't wait to see where she takes things from here.

I had the fortune of catching St. Vincent last Fall in Chicago on her tour in support of this album (she opened for the National). She appeared solo (mostly with electric guitar), and put on a mesmerizing performance, just loved it. I can't wait to see her on the road with a full band, which is supposed to happen this Spring. Sign me up! Meanwhile, "Marry Me" is highly recommended! And if you wonder which radio station plays St. Vincent, look no further than WOXY, the internet-only indie-rock station ("BAM! The Future of Rock and Roll!"), playing the best music in the country, bar none.

She's been a part of the Polyphonic Spree's twee orchestra, toured with Sufjan Stevens, and many other bands as well, ranging from the Arcade Fire to Xiu Xiu.

So it wasn't entirely clear what style Annie Clark (aka St. Vincent) would embrace in her solo debut, "Marry Me." But she does a brilliant job with what she does choose -- a swirling, multifaceted brand of lush indiepop, crammed with quirky instrumentals and charmingly witty little lyrics. It's absolutely stunning.

It kicks off with "Now Now," a catchy little dulcimer-wrapped tune. Clark sings that she's not a carpet, an atomic bomb, a dog, and that: "You don't mean that say you're sorry/You don't mean that I'll make you sorry..." as the strings and drums rev up. She follows it up with the whimsical "Jesus Saves, I Spend," a distinctively quirky pop tune punctuated by babyish noises, smooth keyboard and solid powerpop riffs.

But the album's tone changes drastically with "Your Lips Are Red," which the Dresden Dolls wouldn't be ashamed off -- tortured violins, plunking cabaret piano, erotic overtones and "cities black from all the ashes in downtown." After that, the album slips down into gentler, more lush pop tunes -- quirky romantic ballads, rainy piano tunes, swirling pop epics, and ends with a couple of springtime anti-folk songs.

The best song: "Paris is Burning," a swaying Weimar-styled mass of horns, synth and strings -- it seems to be from the POV of a slain WWII soldier. "We are waiting on a telegram to give us news of the fall/I am sorry to report dear Paris is burning after all/We have taken to the streets in open rejoice revolting/We are dancing a black waltz, fair Paris is burning after all..."

If you listen carefully, you can hear a few hints of various musical influences in "Marry Me" -- moments where St. Vincent's musical experience is briefly glimpsed. But most of the time, she sounds like Regina Spektor and Feist by way of Arcade Fire -- she has a unique blend of quirky, offbeat instrumentation and lyrics, and lush melodies infused with bossa nova, folk, pop, and a bit of rock.

Of course, that quirkiness could have rendered this album totally twee and irritating. But Clark does a brilliant job wringing catchy melodies studded with odd moments (is she throttling that guitar?), and even though the second half is far quieter and less experimental than the first, it's still a magnificent little experience.

St. Vincent -- who played virtually everything on here -- somehow softens the sputtery bass, drums and electric guitars with a web of gauzy dulcimer, handclaps, synth, xylophone, trickling piano, and occasionally a shifting wall of strings. So much is layered into this that they should sound dense, but instead they sound ethereal and effortless.

And Clark's sweetly powerful voice does the music justice, flipping from joyously wicked to sweetly romantic in a moment, and backing herself with an oddball chorale -- sometimes she sounds like a child, an angel, or a bunch of radio-broadcast imps. And her brilliant songs have their bleak moments -- like the Shakespearean "come sit right here and sleep/while I slip poison in your ear" -- but more often, her focus is on love's sorrows and joys. Mostly joys. "Collect the love that I've been given/build a nest for us to sleep in here..." she sings meditatively.

"Marry Me" is the pop debut that most singers can only dream of -- exquisitely beautiful, alluring and quirky. An absolute gem from start to finish.

Every song in this album is good. My favorite would probably have to be Paris is Burning or What Me Worry?

Absolutely remarkable. I'm glad I had my baseball mit on because I had to catch my brain after she blew it out of my head with her amazing album. Can't wait to see her in October!!!!

I'm not a wanna be music critic like so many others on here, so I'll keep it simple:

It's good. If you only form your opinions based on what Clear Channel forces down your throat on the radio, you probably won't like it. But this is an outstanding record.

This is a wonderful CD that has quite a number of gems on it. This is the
kind of cd that you can listen to and not have to skip through the track list. Buy this CD you will not be dissapointed. It is full of smart intelligent lyrics. So unlike most of todays music.

St Vincent is singer-composer-multi-instrumentalist Annie Clark, ably assisted by some of her friends on strings, horns, reeds, and vocal choir. Clark is a find, refreshingly different. She has a lovely, pure voice, which, though not strong, is always there for her quirky compositions and lyrics. She writes strong songs: they take unpredictable turns, changing direction both melodically and rhythmically en route to satisfying resolutions. The lyrics are tricky things. I especially like "Landmines," which begins with: "I'm crawling through landmines/Just to know what you are." It's a love song of sorts, I guess, but more than that, she manages to combiner playfulness with wistfulness in one lovely five-minute piece. I am equally impressed by "Now Now," which starts with a vocal choir singing "I know" and Annie Clark filling in what she knows -or rather remembers--from a shared past in a surrealist stream of consciousness. The song splinters at the close into a burst of sound much like in the Beatles' "A Day in the Life." And then it ends. Just ends. Which is one of Annie Clark's trademarks, songs that end sometimes, as in the lovely "All My Stars Aligned," suddenly and unexpectedly. They're just over. Because she's said what she has wanted to say, no more left to listen to. Other favorites? "Paris Is Burning," "What Me Worry," "Marry Me," and the kickass "Your Lips Are Red," which is driven by Clark's driving electrified guitar riffs. I like also that she includes a short piano piece, "We Put a Pearl in the Ground," eight songs in (out of eleven total). That's nine songs out of eleven that like greatly and the other two aren't bad either. It sounds like a good argument for buying or downloading the whole album and not just a few cuts. Clark doesn't sound like either Regina Spektor or Natalie Feist, but the listener who enjoys either of them will probably enjoy listening to Annie Clark too.

Watch out for St. Vincent, or Annie Clark, whatever she chooses to call herself in the future. She's a comer.

I bought this cd from Amazon and loved it and ended up seeing her in concert and it was great. Can't wait to check out her new album that comes out in May. So many phenomenal songs.