aaamusic | On 19, Sep 2011

Strange Mercy by St. Vincent

New Album Out Now

“Her most potent and cathartic release yet.” – Pitchfork (9.0 – BNM)
“Clark has a knack for memorable melody and a winning voice.” – The Observer (5/5)
“A flawless exercise in arty pop subversion.” – The Daily Telegraph (5/5)
“Smart, demanding and unique.” – The Guardian (4/5)
“She delights in the details and captivates in the process.” – Time Out (4/5)
“Strange Mercy is the shimmering, expansive sound of an artist defiantly coming into her own.” – MOJO (4/5)
“Wonderful.” – Q (4/5)

St. Vincent, the nom-de-stage of Annie Clark, releases third album Strange Mercy, today. Having worked together on 2009’s Actor, Clark reunited with producer John Congleton, recording the album in her hometown of Dallas, TX at Elmwood Studios. The 11 new tracks showcase Clark’s inimitable gift for melody, packing elegant arrangements with hefty emotional punches.

Clark’s virtuosity has long been recognised, and Strange Mercy finds her redefining the idea of the guitar hero, utilizing the instrument as a pointillist artist might wield a brush. On ‘Cruel’ she elicits punchy bursts like an R&B horn section. ‘Cheerleader’ froths and boils, with deep and fuzzy guitars bubbling up to the surface, while ‘Surgeon’ twirls about endlessly, Clark’s vocals dancing amid a blizzard of notes.

Strange Mercy isn’t an entirely solitary affair either, with Clark joined by a host of other musicians. Included among them are Beck keyboardist and musical director Brian LeBarton, Grammy Award winning musician Bobby Sparks on mini Moog, clavinet, Arp and Wurlitzer, Midlake’s MacKenzie Smith on drums, Daniel Hart on violin, Evan Smith on woodwinds and Phil Palazzolo.

Download album track ‘Surgeon’ for free from strangemercy.com

Buy from:

Amazon / Play / iTunes / Rough Trade / Beggars USA

Cruel Video:

Watch the video for first single ‘Cruel’, directed by long-term collaborator Terri Timely:

Tour Dates:

October
2nd – McGuire Theatre, Minneapolis
3rd – The Pabst Theater, Milwaukee
5th – Metro (Chicago), Chicago
6th – Old Rock House, St. Louis
7th – Liberty Hall, Lawrence
8th – Boulder Theatre, Boulder
10th – Urban Lounge, Salt Lake City
12th – Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver
13th – Neptune Theatre, Seattle
14th – Crystal Ballroom, Portland
18th – The Music Box, Los Angeles
20th – The Crescent Ballroom, Phoenix
23rd – Kessler Theater, Dallas
24th – Moody Theatre, Austin
25th – Fitzgerald’s, Houston
28th – The Earl, Atlanta
30th – Jefferson Theatre, Charlottesville

November
1st – 9:30 Club, Washington DC
2nd – Union Transfer, Philadelphia
3rd – Webster Hall, New York
4th – Royale Boston, Boston
10th – Queen Elizabeth Hall, London
11th – Fleece, Bristol
12th – The Deaf Institute, Manchester
13th – Workman’s Club, Dublin
15th – Stereo, Glasgow
16th – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
18th – Crossing Border Festival, Hague
19th – Luxor, Koln
20th – Crossing Border Festival, Antwerp
25th – Primavera Club, Barcelona
26th – Primavera Club, Madrid
29th – El Lokal, Zurich
30th – Caf? de la Danse, Paris

December
2nd – Frannz Club, Berlin
3rd – Indra, Hamburg