Sunday, July 8, 2007


- St. Vincent - Austin, TX - The Parish -
 

Even though I made it to the Parish last night to witness St. Vincent put on a magnificent show, I have to admit that I pretty much fumbled the ball in regards to preparing for my coverage of the event.  First of all, I was asked if I wanted to interview the lovely Annie Clark, but I started three different jobs this week and I just couldn't get around to setting it up, so I ended up missing out.  Then, to top it all off, I realized that my trusty little Sony Cybershot was dead when the first artist, Scout Niblett, was starting her set.

I sincerely hope that the next go-around for something like this involves much less weirdness.  Enjoy the review.

    

-  Scout Niblett -

Scout Niblett opened the show with a short 30 minute set that featured her and her electric guitar.  I thought that she was solid, but the moments where she would either shriek or growl were slightly strange and often killed the mood.  Her cover of the Cars' Just What I Needed clearly suffered from this the most since it probably would have been a heartbreaker if she hadn't filled it with all sorts of high pitched yelps.  Still, I think she's worth your time if you find yourself in the mood for a simplified, offbeat version of Cat Power.

    

- St. Vincent -

Outside of what I've already mentioned so far, I learned something very interesting last night; there are two side of Annie Clark.  The first is a very sweet, wide-eyed girl who speaks quietly into the microphone and generously thanks all who provide the smallest of applause.  She doesn't banter much between songs but the sincerity in her movements and in her eyes don't require much effort to notice that she really does appreciate the support.

And the other side?  Well, that's the one that makes a St. Vincent show worth attending.  As soon as the music starts the shyness is whisked away in favor of passion, which results in such a relentless attack on the senses that you end up wide-eyed.  All of Annie's movements become very frenetic, her eyes produce a piercing stare and her guitar play ends up more raw than you would think given how her album is so very structured and crisp.  Each song from last night was extended and seemingly went as long as it took for Annie to slowly drift back down to reality and become the sweet girl again.  Even her beautiful cover of Mates Of State's Jackson Browne's These Days, which was the show closer, featured the same behavior.

Honestly, I didn't expect such a vibrant performance from Annie, but that's what I got and I absolutely loved it.  Get out and see her as soon as possible.

:St. Vincent - Marry Me:
:St. Vincent - Now Now:

- John Laird -



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