By shelz.
St. Vincent aka Annie Clark is one of the better stories from the musical edge. Her pedigree smacks of experimentation and whimsy, as stretches with both Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens have colored her style a bit odd. And while it’s obvious she has held on to pieces of both, her approach is all her own. Strange Mercy is a testament to both her individuality and her skill. It also may be one of the best-produced albums so far of 2011. The devil is always in the details and Strange Mercy wins that hellish battle as if Clark was still wearing her Spree church robe. The tracks twist and turn, throwing convention and any idea that little ladies can’t shred to the wind. She toys with typical construction, but the curve ball is always waiting. And it tends to be thrown with an anxious and melancholy hand.
Some of the songs are straight-forward takes on the darker corners of ladyhood; acceptance and testimony of paths sometimes traveled under personal duress. “Chloe In the Afternoon” grinds along with growling guitar work and dark submissive imagery; proving quite the polar opposite of Rihanna’s bubblegum S&M fantasy.
“Cruel” with its “Controversy”-esque bassline captures the numbness involved in taking the life path most traveled, probably because that’s what everyone else did. The song’s video humorously shows Vincent being kidnapped from a convenience store by a father and his children, forced into a creepy idyllic motherhood, only to be buried alive when they figure out she’s not handy with a baking dish. Cruel indeed.
Even in the easy lilt that opens “Surgeon,” the atmospherics hover like an evil dark cloud preparing to wreak havoc, but what would you expect from a song that features the opening line “I spent the summer on my back?” On the surface it may sound pleasurable, but Clark has already proven she brings more depth than most. Even if you look past the early 70’s porn keys, the lyrics are still up for interpretation.
Other tracks are more straightforward declarations. The cheerless guitar strums that usher in “Cheerleader” play perfect foundation to the regrets Clark muddles through before an empowering thump of percussion leads her to turning over a new leaf. She doesn’t know what she wants, but this isn’t it. The tile cut speaks of wanting to protect a small love, even if it involves deception. The mercy delivered by a lie is always a bitter-sweet victory and Clark delivers wonderfully.
The beauty of “Champagne Year” moves in perfect, foggy waves string-laced ambiance and probably has the most conventional construction on the album. The lyrics of commitment, not only to your path but the person you’re sharing it with, flows peculiarly into “Dilettante” which no one can tell me isn’t a stalker song. It’s always easier to share your life with someone without a restraining order. The guitar work on the end of this song is gorgeous, despite the subject matter.
It’s not all perfection though. “Neutered Fruit,” while easy on the ear, may be a bit too clever for its own good; leaving you to scratch your head instead of bob it. “Hysterical Strength” just doesn’t engage. However, it may remind you of the theme music to In Search Of. In the grand scheme of things though, these two missteps detract little from the album. Word to Leonard Nimoy.
Strange Mercy is a verdant offering that piles wispy vocals on top of an ever-changing sonic palette without it feeling overwhelming, at least not in a bad way. Clark’s penchant for ambiguity makes for interesting exploration of her words and the moody setting adds to the possible profundity of it all. St Vincent may have cut her teeth with some imaginative acts, but with Strange Mercy she proves her talent is in a class all its own.
4.25 Out of 5
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