Annie Clark brought an excellent batch of new tunes (from her brilliant record Actor) and a talented four-piece backing band with her to First Avenue on Thursday night for a show that, while perhaps lacking in energy and spirit, showcased her superior songs and arrangements, and subsequently enthralled most of the half-full house. Clark mentioned that the band had to drive all day from Nebraska for this show, and it showed a bit in the band’s somewhat torpid performance, but the beautiful and intricate songs they played during their 75 minute set have a life of their own, and they were able to soar despite the road weary appearance of the group.

The stage set was adorned with austere white sheets that reflected an understated but elegant light show that added nicely to the tone and mood of the music. But the real star of the show was always going to be Ms. Clark, and while she appeared to be a bit more restrained with her manic guitar freak-outs than she has been in past performances, she still managed to be enthralling and beguiling throughout (the tights helped, I’ll gladly admit), and her voice sounded true and pure all evening. The dexterous band members (other than the drummer, who stayed behind his kit) switched instruments all set, going from bass, violin, trumpet, clarinet, keyboards, saxophone and flute, often during the course of a single song. They filled in on whatever instruments the songs called for, and really added a pleasurable layer and dimension to the music.

The band eased into the set, opening with a bouncy version of “Marry Me” that had Clark pausing after the line “Oh John, let’s do what Mary and Joseph did…without the kid,” exclaiming “I’m really glad that still gets a laugh.” That song segued nicely into “The Strangers,” with its dark undercurrents billowing just beneath the pleasant musical arrangements of the song. But Clark stretched out a bit on the electric guitar flourish towards the end of the song, giving the track a finely tuned edge and a bit of a sinister quality that hinted at the grave subject matter of the song. A funky “Save Me From What I Want” was next, which had a spirit and pep that was unfortunately lacking from other parts of the set. The long day traveling, and perhaps the sparse attendance, certainly had something to do with the band not being fully engaged with the crowd during their set, which at times seemed a bit detached and lifeless. Clark tried to forge a connection with the audience by complimenting Minneapolis (and the surrounding areas) many times during the set, and telling a funny story about serenading Miss Nebraska contestants at a Starbucks with an a capella version of the English Beat’s “End Of The Party.” And while all of that was endearing and amusing, this was a night where the music would carry the performance.

“Now, Now” certainly got the loudest applause of the evening, and the performance proved to be an excellent, spirited version of the standout from St. Vincents excellent debut Marry Me. Clark was bouncing back and forth from one mic to another as the song built in intensity and found her blistering on the guitar at the end of the song. And the strong momentum of this song continued into an equally fiery version of the propulsive “Actor Out Of Work,” that certainly was one of the set’s highlights. The band left the stage as Clark performed a solo version of “Paris Is Burning” on electric guitar that stripped the song of its ornamentation, leaving it much more somber than the recorded version. The rest of the group took the stage again after “Paris,” and it truthfully took the band a while to reclaim the earlier energy of the set. They played a somewhat sleepy version of “The Bed” that featured Clark on keyboards, but unfortunately never really took off. And the languid nature of the performance continued with a rather flat version of “Laughing With A Mouth Of Blood” as well. “Black Rainbow” was next, and again it failed to alight completely, despite being a beautiful song. Clark added a bit of energy to the end of the track with her skilled guitar work, but the song never really blossomed completely.

The set was certainly in need of a spark, and thankfully we got one with a stellar, upbeat version of “Marrow” that finally got the crowd enlivened again with its spirited, horn-filled chorus and Clark’s aggressive, lively guitar. It was an enthusiastic rendition, and proved to be the highlight of the set for me. The main set closed with a lovely version of “Just The Same But Brand New,” that evolved into a percussive exclamation point that ended the set on a high note. The band briefly left the stage before returning for a two song encore that began with a mellow, bluesy version of “The Party” which featured delicate keyboards as well as absolutely lush orchestration from the band that truly gave the song life. The set closed with a pulsing, animated version of “Your Lips Are Red” which ended the show strongly and hinted at the power of Clark’s music when it’s delivered with the proper intensity.

If not for the stellar songs on display throughout the evening the set could have suffered from the subdued appearance of the band. But while the performance wasn’t spellbinding, the superb songs were able to carry the set on their own. Clark’s delicate songs would be better served being heard at a more intimate venue (like the Cedar Cultural Center, where she delivered a brilliant set last year), and perhaps next time through town she will return to a smaller room. But Actor is filled with such incredible, ornate songs that the show still proved to be splendid simply based on the strength of those tracks alone, as well as the fantastic older material from Marry Me. Hopefully next time through town, Clark and her band will be better rested and able to better serve the spirit and passion of these songs with a performance that matches their intensity and emotion.

[review by Erik Thompson, photos by Jon Behm]

Setlist:

Marry Me
The Strangers
Save Me From What I Want
Now, Now
Actor Out of Work
Paris Is Burning
The Bed
Laughing With A Mouth Of Blood
Black Rainbow
Marrow
Just the Same But Brand New
The Party (encore)
Your Lips Are Red (encore)

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Also: Four Takes on “Actor” by St. Vincent