St. Vincent
Marry Me
Release Date: Jul 10, 2007
Genre(s): Indie, Rock
Record label: Beggars Banquet
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Album Review: Marry Me by St. Vincent
Excellent, Based on 4 Critics
Based on rating 8/10
With experience playing with the Polyphonic Spree, Sufjan Stevens, and Glenn Branca, Annie Clark is more than qualified enough to start writing her own loosely ornate, lush pop songs. But while Clark, who chooses to use the name St. Vincent here, does incorporate the frilly strings and horns, background choirs, and various keyboards (most of which she plays) of her past employers in Marry Me, her solo debut, she also has an edge to her -- something that shows up in the distorted electric guitar solos of "Jesus Saves, I Spend" or "Now, Now," the drums in the ominous "The Apocalypse Song" or "Your Lips Are Red," the growing intensity of the vocals "Landmines," the funereal waltz of the fantastic "Paris Is Burning" ("I write to give the war is over/Send my cinders home to mother," Clark sings sadly over electronic drumbeats and acoustic guitars) -- that pushes her away from the overly sentimental and quaint.
Based on rating B+
St. Vincent is Annie Clark, 24, a multi-instrumentalist whose day job is to play guitar for cultish acts like the Polyphonic Spree. Turns out she’s found time to moonlight, incorporating her employers’ whimsy into Marry Me, a solo debut that swerves from sweet-as-molasses love songs — laced with lethal humor — to industrial tracks reminiscent of a less squawky Björk.
Opinion: Great
Titling your major label bow Marry Me builds certain expectations. Thankfully, everywhere on her full-length debut, Annie Clark makes the title's request impossible. Of course, this only makes the ebb and flow of her music even more engaging. As St. Vincent, the Dallas singer-songwriter plays a ….
Opinion: Very Good
St. Vincent is a 24-year old woman named Annie Clark. If you go to indie shows much, you will likely know her as a member of Sufjan Stevens’ or The Polyphonic Spree’s touring bands, or as the opener on John Vanderslice’s recent tour and selected dates with Stephen Malkmus and Jose Gonzalez. She’s an excellent solo performer, often as interesting (and, in the case of artists like Malkmus, more interesting) as the headliners, but deferential enough to not oversell her tightly-wound songs.
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