Monday, December 12, 2011

REVIEW: St. Vincent - Strange Mercy




Grade: 92% (A-)

I introduce you to HBO's television series Hung; a story of Ray, a divorced high school gym teacher on the verge of some serious Michigan educational budget cuts who is "gifted" in other aspects of life and therefore pursues them by becoming a male prostitute to make some cash on the side. Tanya, a self-loathing poet/artist who has gone through life pushed around by her mother and others, enlists Ray as her hoe as she delves into the field of becoming a pimp. Tanya doesn't exactly have control of her life and continues to be pushed around by Lenore, her much more attractive and successful opponent pimp seeking Ray's services, leading to breakdowns and episodes. Tanya, welcome to your release. 

Annie Clarke is as badass as a sweet pale girl with curly black hair can be… Which apparently is pretty badass. On Strange Mercy, she takes St. Vincent into a new stratosphere with her combination of attitude and innocence. Much like Tanya does when she steals her rival pimp's dog, Clarke has just said, "fuck it," and is taking control of how shit goes down in her life. She isn't taking shit from anyone anymore.

While they share the same hairstyle, the two aren't entirely parallels of each other. As Tanya is somewhat all over the place and unhinged, Clarke maintains a certain level of sanity. She still is able to fool you with her childlike innocence on "Cheerleader," until she swoops in and demands that she no longer roam the sidelines supporting the team in their endeavors. However, she is still not afraid to admit the times in which she has given in in the past. On "Surgeon," she opens singing, "I spent the summer on my back," but then sounds as dangerous as a rabid dog with her crazed chorus, "Best find a surgeon, come cut me open." The most important line of the record is on the title track, when Clarke sings, "If I ever meet that dirty policeman who roughed you up, no I don't know what." Clark extinguishes any security by ripping in and out of guitar riffs throughout the LP (see "Cruel"). She knows her life of, "making a living telling people what they want to hear," is not a perfect plan but she doesn't care what you think. The simple structure (drum loops, synth workings, and honed guitar riffs) proves once and for all that Annie Clark means business. Even through all of this though, the musical integrity is maintained and you would still like the songs without paying close attention to the lyrics.

She also might still be a little crazy though, as the album is littered with these examples. Still, Annie Clark has provided inspiration to any unremarkably put together female (10-15 on the tightness scale) and, considering she has gotten an 18-year old male college freshman to reflection the state of life of mediocre and unnoticed women, has certainly gained respect in the music community. Keep your pimp hand strong Tanya. 

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