Strange Mercy
4AD; 2011
For me, this might go down as the most delightful surprise of 2011. It's not that I had low expectations for this, St. Vincent's third LP. It's simply that I didn't have any expectations at all. I'm not unfamiliar with Annie Clark's body of work, I, along with many others got a hold of, and thoroughly enjoyed her 2009 sophomore effort Actor. It wasn't album of the year or anything, but it was definitely one of the more colorful outputs of that year. Wonderful art pop overflowing with lush instrumentation and overtly melodic sensibilities.
As eccentric and simply delightful as Actor is, Clark did lose something through all the orchestration and inventiveness of the music that she had a firm grip on on her debut LP Marry Me, that being ...herself. Throughout her debut she was consistently expressing herself, every instrument and note was there only to emphasize the duality, conflict and pure raw emotion within her own self. The music was very self contained and felt very much a part of Miss Clark, as if she were cutting herself open and handing you her body parts on demand. Whereas Actor finds her exploring texture and sounds for our ecstatic enjoyment (and we did enjoy it), in retrospect it feels now like an album she simply needed to get out of the way in order to make Strange Mercy.
On this, Clark's third LP as St. Vincent, we find her with nigh perfect control over her music, now with an arsenal of tricks up her sleeve, every single track has an element of surprise. Although the instrumentation might not be as flashy as that on Actor, it feels more controlled, everything that needs to be there is there. That's not to say that the album has a minimalist approach, hardly. This is still very, very layered music with which one reaps the true rewards after multiple listens. It's simply to say that Clark has the confidence now to stand on her own two feet, and scream and shout and cry without the need for an orchestra backing her up, it's really the greatest of compliments and a testament to her ability as an artist.
The sound of this album is so full and pleasing to the ears, it simply feels nice to listen to, even more-so than Actor, which as it stands is an album noted for it's textures. The tone of the guitar is so clumpy and ugly and obnoxious, and juxtaposes the gentle atmosphere of the background synths perfectly. There's always a good number of high-end and low-end sounds going on at any one time, making for a very satisfying listening experience. And if there's anyone who knows how to write an original hook, it's most definitely Annie Clark. Cruel, the album's first lead single has a hook that will make your ears salivate at it's pure delightful infectiousness, and it's interesting fretwork and layering assure rewarding repeat listens.
What leaves me in such adoration for this album isn't simply the depth, or the innovation (although this album would be nothing without them). It reminded me of why I listen to music so often in the first place, it's fun. Buckets of fun. This album is the 'wild Friday night out' of recent releases, just try to slow your pulse during the synth solo in Surgeon, or the floor-stomping chorus of Cheerleader. With Strange Mercy Clark has proved to be an innovative artist with a bright future ahead of her, worth our full attention, and pity on anyone who isn't watching.
9.0
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