Strange Mercy

Music as a true companion

St. Vincent (the artist’s real name is Annie Erin Clark) got acquainted with music in early childhood. She took the guitar and the destiny of the future singer was predetermined at that very moment. Moreover, her uncle had a band called Tuck & Patti, which also had an impact on young Clark’s development. In her teens she worked as a group manager, and that definitely included introduction to the world of music and to the philosophy of the musicians as well. Later Clark studied at the musical college Berklee, but pretty soon she realized that it was almost impossible to learn the art with the help of someone’s directions. So, one should count only on his own strength, and that is the thing that Annie had always been good at. For some time she played in various bands, but later she made up her mind to try her luck in a solo project. It is a risky business, however the singer totally succeeded: the debut record titled Marry Me proved to be a real hit, while the following long play Actor made St. Vincent’s position even more solid. Clark’s unique style was enjoyed both by listeners and critics. That was incredibly important because of the great number of musicians, who performed in resembling genre. Nevertheless, St. Vincent found her place in the sun. And now she needs a bit more room: the release of her new studio album titled Strange Mercy took place in 2011.

Experiments, rock and St. Vincent

Thus, the third studio attempt Strange Mercy was meant to become a powerful one, especially considering the singer’s previous records. Actually, there is absolutely no doubt that the new long play will satisfy listeners’ expectations: Annie Clark did her best to make it ideal. The album’s opening song called Chloe In The Afternoon became a sort of a demonstration of Clark’s freedom of self-expression: raw and ragged guitar riffs, broken drums part and disheveled vocals. Cruel, the second track, sounds more dance, but it will be definitely remembered due to its nice guitar bridge. After all, St. Vincent just cannot do without rock, even in spite of the fact that she can handle a great number of styles easily. The composition Northern Lights reminds of British post punk revival – energetic guitars and ringing drums played their role. The album’s main song Strange Mercy got a perfect title indeed. This is a slow, mysterious and almost space track. Well, independent rock lets experimenting. Or it even appeals for experiments – it is totally up to the performer.

Strange Mercy – the new standard of quality

Every single artist feels responsibility when releasing a new album. Will it be better than previous ones, will it please the listeners, will it be critically acclaimed? However all these estimations are not important for St. Vincent. During her studying at college she understood perfectly that the art is truly difficult to evaluate. That is why she just creates, writes songs and enjoys the very process. Music lovers, in their turn, enjoy listening to Annie Clark’s records. Moreover, the performer keeps on mastering her skills and she is not afraid of diversifying her style. The change of moods on the album is always interesting, and when all the transitions are smooth, it shows the musicians’ professionalism as well. St. Vincent’s wizardry, which attracted listeners’ attention several years ago, did not disappear. Probably Strange Mercy became one of Annie Clark’s strongest spells so far. Let us wait for the continuation.