St. Vincent

St. Vincent is neither a saint nor named Vincent. Discuss amongst yourselves. Yes, the moniker belongs to one Annie Clark and her voice and guitar have graced works by the likes of the Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens. And, man, is she brimming with ideas. This debut is incredibly restless, as Clark never seems comfortable in any skin she chooses. Yet, the one thread that keeps the listener rapt is her voice, which is quite remarkable and is at its best in the absolutely gorgeous and heartbreaking "Land Mines.” Undoubtedly she has a flair for the dramatic, as many songs end in quirky denouements, but it becomes a little tiring over a whole album. Don’t get me wrong, this is an absurdly confident debut and St. Vincent is only getting better, but the bounce from the catchy and amazing "Now, Now” to the jaunty and idiosyncratic "Paris is Burning,” ending on the elegiac "What Me Worry?” is quite dizzying. However, throughout the entire affair Clark’s voice is the anchor. Full, luscious and siren-esque, once she finds the right fit she’ll be unstoppable. Marriage? Nah. I’ll go for "it’s a bit complicated.”