St. Vincent -‘Actor’ (4AD)

How to describe the second album by St. Vincent (nee Annie Clark)? Damn fantastic, that’s how. She doesn’t even cast a disdainfl raised eyebrow in the look of those ten-a-penny confessional singer-songwriters and instead heads straight for the leftfield of wonder.

And I mean that. Actor shows her to be the missing link between Laurie Anderson, Joanna Newsom and Bjork. A fair bit of this album is completely bonkers, but -and here’s the catch – bonkers in a way that makes you have to go back and investigate the album again and again. With first single ‘Actor Out Of Work’ you feel here is a track that could shake up the mainstream as much as the aforementioned Anderson did back in 1981 with ‘O Superman.’ I genuinely hope it does, it’s one of the most exciting things I’ve heard this year.

Having been a member of the Polyphonic Spree, Sufjan Stevens’ backing band and performed with Glenn Branca’s guitar orchestra, here is a performer who takes her own notions of the avant garde and produces something beautiful, that requires repeated listens and commands your respect. Bring it on!

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Actor is released on May 4 on 4AD

St. Vincent -‘The Strangers.’ mp3

St. Vincent -‘Actor Out Of Work’ video