St. Vincent “Actor” Review

It is often difficult to gain a balanced perspective on an album after reading a single summary of the music. Bias can tilt the review, as can personal taste, history and just about everything else that is unique to the person writing it. So in an effort to offer an expanded perspective on the music here are four reactions, four impressions, Four Takes on Actor by St. Vincent.

Just two years after her arresting debut album, Marry Me, St. Vincent (Annie Clark) is back with her excellent sophomore album Actor. Like her first album, the disc combines her whimsical vocals with densely orchestrated backing tracks to create a great collection of songs. What separates Clark from other artists in her field is her desire to take bold steps, deftly learned during her time as a band member with Sufjan Stevens and the Polyphonic Spree. Clark’s songs are growers, and you can find something new each time you listen to this album. Highlights are all over the record, including the dark “Laughing with a Mouth of Blood,” the straightforward burner “Actor Out of Work” and the album opener, and lead single, “The Strangers.” While she could easily use her charming voice and strong songwriting skills to join the other female singer/songwriters in their rush to match the success of artists such as Feist, it is great to see Clark taking even more chances on her second disc than she did on her debut. Her amazing talent and substantial imagination are evident throughout the 11 song, 39 minute album and show an artist that is not afraid to take chances and has once again succeeded in making a wholly original and rewarding album. [Josh Keller]

For a long time I really didn’t care for St. Vincent’s music. My first exposure to her was a series of three shows in which she played the opener in 2007, the year when it seemed like she was in Minneapolis every other week. Annie Clark seemed extremely stage-shy back then, and her solo sets were clunky and awkward. When she opened for Midlake at the 7th Street Entry she introduced herself to the crowd no less than a dozen times, and appeared ready to burst into tears and flee the stage at any moment. So, throughout the last couple of years I was always a bit surprised when I heard about all the growing hype around her debut record Marry Me, an album that I will always associate with those first bumbling performances. Only now that I have heard her sophomore effort Actor do I finally understand just how talented she is. Where I found Marry Me grating and a bit forced, Actor is polished and flows naturally. Opening track “The Strangers” is the perfect example: Clark’s trademark dichotomy between beautiful pop and gnarly guitar sounds composed and carefully orchestrated. Whereas those two sides of her songs often used to run roughshod over each other, in Actor the flow is seamless and smooth. So smooth that I can hardly believe it’s the same woman I heard two years ago. To use one of Clark’s own lines from “The Strangers,” “desperate [didn't] look good on [her],” but now it appears that I will be the desperate one—desperate to get into her show at First Avenue this Spring. [Jon Behm]

(uncredited photo via St. Vincent)

At times, Actor is exactly what I expected it to be. Conversely, it’s also scattered with tracks that sound nothing like what I had anticipated. The first half of the album adopts an interesting mash of choppy, distorted guitar with Clark playfully breathing life into lyrics that might otherwise come across as desperate or woeful. The chorus of “Save Me From What I Want” repeats the title over and over, while “Paint a black hole blacker,” is continually chanted on “The Strangers,” and “Laughing with a Mouthful of Blood” adds to the morose theme of the record, but all of that is delivered with an odd perkiness to the songs that ring truer to an upbeat pop song. “Laughing with a Mouthful of Blood” particularly sounds as such, with the song delivering a sound parallel to much of what the Bird and the Bee have released, transposing strings with a warped chorus and a friendly pop beat. But following the next song, the crunchy, lighthearted industrial theme “Marrow,” Actor unfortunately drifts into fairly safe territory. While sounding ocean-sized at times, “The Party” slowly flows alongside the last two songs on the album, as Clark’s innocent voice begins to distract the listener from the music beneath it. Clark’s auspicious career has lent her an interesting freedom, one that allows her to tinker with experimental tracks, while also allowing her to fall back on songs that are almost musically beneath her. With Actor she takes advantage of both, and for a casual listener (such as myself), diverting from the predictable is a much welcomed treat. [Chris DeLine]

This was one of those rare albums that picks up as it goes along; usually it’s the opposite—a few great songs right away bleeding into filler. But Actor, whether by design or accident, starts out as fairly bland, forgettable indie-pop stuff, but then rolls into a slow burn, becoming darker, more intense and more interesting as it goes on. It’s a pretty brilliant hybrid of sounds when it really kicks into full gear; imagine Trent Reznor scoring an old Disney movie—princesses and demons battling in a swirl of distorted synth noises, orchestral strings and pianos. Clark’s cold and relatively distant voice is perfect for communicating a kind of subtle tension, especially when juxtaposed with some of the album’s “bigger” musical moments; a number of songs like “Just the Same But Brand New,” “The Party” and “Marrow” contain monstrous instrumental climaxes that are welcome respites from the coolness of most of the vocals. “Marrow,” in particular, is a definite highlight; full of dread and discomfort, yet perfectly danceable; a winning combination. [Kyle "Guante" Myhre]

Also: St. Vincent @ First Avenue