Annie Clark of St.Vincent, has carved out a record of immeasurable beauty and emotional depth with the release of her third full length album ‘Strange Mercy’. Her rise in popularity has been steady over the course of her previous release’s ‘Marry Me’ and ‘Actor’. One outward difference between ‘Strange Mercy’ and it’s predecessors has been in the cover art. With her first two records we are treated to her beautiful singular face. ‘Strange Mercy’ bucks that trend with a photograph of a persons mouth wide open, teeth bared, but restrained by what looks like white latex. This image seems to connote the idea of emotions being laid bare but forcibly restrained.
The music of ‘Strange Mercy’ is some of the most emotionally revealing of Annie Clark’s career. The album is populated by stories of dashed expectations, damaged relationships, obsession and power struggles. Clark herself has stated in interviews that some of the lyrical content is based in experience while the rest is fiction. ‘Strange Mercy’ becomes an even more engaging listen as we are left to wonder through the various narratives of what may and may not be grounded in real life. Ultimately, that sort of speculation is irrelevant because of how well written and performed the album is.
Producer John Congleton’s work behind the boards on this album heightens the drama in Clark’s songs to the needed amount of cool isolation that makes the album breath as one body. The musical heart of the record seems to lie not so much in it’s enticingly catchy singles but, in it’s title track.
The song ‘Strange Mercy’ best characterizes the emotional struggle of the various narrators. The narrator of ‘Strange Mercy’ sings to a loved one that she is ultimately helpless to protect against over a rough encounter with the police.
“If I ever meet the dirty police man who roughed you up, no I don’t know what.”
Clark’s voice practically breaks as she utters those words in the same way someone who is trying to comfort a loved one would in that situation. It is an agonizing moment when you think of the helplessness that scenario paints. The musical arrangement of the song complements the narrative with its steady pulse and airy interludes that see Clark’s guitar work flitting about like birds across the sky. The song climaxes without having to breakdown to what could have been an overly wrought moment. ‘Strange Mercy’ epitomizes the entire records emotive ability and restrained order to go for maximum impact.
The singles ‘Cruel’ and ‘Surgeon’ delve into the range of the pop spectrum that leaves you infected and humming their melodies all day at work. This is no small feat for an artist to accomplish. Behind the shimmering guitar hook of ‘Cruel’ is a song dealing with expectation and what seems to be an individuals exploitation at the hands of others. ‘Surgeon’ trades the blistering pop hooks of ‘Cruel’ and trades them in for an airy downtempo feel that contrasts against an almost understated display of Clark’s guitar prowess. As she sings the refrain, “Best finest surgeon, come cut me open,” her fretwork shifts gears into a progressive rock guitar line that calls to mind some of the finest of King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp. To hear it in action is a wonder, to see her perform this live is even more astounding.
The song ‘Champagne Yea’ provides one of the most self-aware moments of the album, and seems to be an almost tongue in cheek comment from Clark herself when she sings,
“So I thought I learned my lesson but I secretly expected a choir at the shore and confetti through the falling air. I make a living telling people what they want to hear. It’s not a killing but it’s enough to keep the cobwebs clear.”
The two first line reveals a dashed expectation contrasted against what seems to be an admission of artistic, or personal intent. As listeners, we are left to wonder if we are hearing what Clark thinks we should hear. Most importantly, it seems that the act of expression itself is what is keeping the cobwebs clear for her.
The sonic and emotional cohesion ‘Strange Mercy’ presents an artist whose growth has led to a maturity and understanding that only comes through experience. Annie Clark has brought that to the music of ‘Strange Mercy.’ We can only hope that she continues this path of revelation and discovery.
By the time Battles released “Gloss Drop” in 2011, most people were familiar with the back story of the records creation. Tyondai Braxton left the band, an albums worth of material was created and subsequently abandoned in favor of what would become “Gloss Drop.” As a follow up to the highly acclaimed album “Mirrored”, “Gloss Drop” is the logical extension of the events that led to its creation. It is the sound of a band digging deep into its bag of creative tricks in order to top their past work.
In place of the departed Braxton, the band decided to not replace him and instead bring on guest vocalists for a handful of songs. “My Machines” featuring Gary Numan, is arguably the strongest of the four songs with guest vocals. The song unfurls itself in stages, first a rhythm loop sets up the tempo, drummer John Stanier then enters with a precise 16th note hi hat pattern that explodes into a ferocious distorted bass line followed by the entrance of Numan’s vocals. Though this pairing may seem odd at first glance, it works very well in practice.
Kazu Makino of the band Blonde Redhead guest stars on the track “Sweetie & Shag” that provides one of the most straightforward and accessible points of the album. Battles locks down a powerful straight ahead groove as Kazu’s vocals capture your attention with her breathy performance. “Sweetie & Shag” demonstrates Battles ability to go beyond their musical virtuosity and show their capability to write songs verging on very progressive pop.
The two remaining songs with guest vocals, “Ice Cream” feat. DJ/Producer Matias Aguayo, and “Sundome” feat. legendary Boredoms vocalist Yamantaka Eye. The vocal performances on each of their respective tracks could not be any more different. Aguayo delivers a great pop performance that will leave you humming it’s hook ad nauseum. Aguayo is singing in Spanish for those who may have not yet heard the song. Eye’s performance on “Sundome” is the most unique of all four guest vocalist performances. From my listening, it’s hard to make out whether Eye is singing in Japanese or some improvised wordless performance. It’s a compelling listen that leaves you wondering. The effects placed on Eye’s vocals make it the most reminiscent to those of the departed Braxton. “Sundome” takes its time to fully hit its stride, but when it does you’ll feel like you’re on a bizarre psychedelic march into outer space.
Aside from the four songs with vocals, there are still eight wholly instrumental songs that comprise the majority of the album. Opening track “Africastle” builds a dramatic opening that bears a resemblance to the song “Tonto” from “Mirrored.” The tension builds until the band races in. One of the hallmarks to the music of Battles is the layering of instruments and other effects that permeate their music. This is particularly apparent on “Africastle.” The attention to detail for the myriad of layers of sound on any given song of theirs creates an amazing listening experience for anyone willing to go on a left field adventure.
“Futura” is held together by Stanier’s drumming which manifests a hip hop influence. If there was going to any song of theirs with an MC, this would be the track. There is a great performance of this song that can be found online of the band performing it on Jimmy Fallon.
Perhaps the best of all the instrumental tracks is the song “Wall Street.” It has all the signature sounds one would associate with the band including its odd timing, out of nowhere starts and stops, and turn arounds. This song is a definite showcase for everything that is great about the band and their inventive writing.
Two of the more experimental tracks on “Gloss Drop” come towards the end of the record. “Toddler” and “Rolls Bayce” seem like offshoots of one another. “Toddler” is a very fitting title for the shortest song on the record. That title is not only fitting for the song because of its brevity, but because it has the feeling of a robotic lullaby. “Toddler” serves to expose a certain tenderness not commonly associated with the band. It’s companion track “Rolls Bayce” is only a minute longer and comes across almost as an older sibling coming to usher “Toddler” off with its own rhythmic playfulness.
Dave Konopka, Ian Williams and John Stanier have created a record that ushered away all doubt about the creative spirit some feared may have been lost. Instead, they create a record that affirms their past accomplishments and sets the stage for music that is going to be continuously new, challenging and accessible.
It is a rare thing to find a band that has ambition, passion, and the execution of a musical concept as fully realized as “The Archeress” by Bella Novela. The idea of a band going down the corridor of the rock opera seems to be laughable and relegated to bands whose pomposity fills the airwaves of classic rock stations all over the country. This is not the case with “The Archeress.” The opening instrumental “Exodus”, sets the stage for the next 45 minutes of the albums duration. The rising tension of “Exodus” is reminiscent of the spaghetti western music of legendary film composer Ennio Morricone. The album quickly shifts gears into the song “Sanctuary” that introduces us to the roaring vocals of singer/keyboard player Jackie Ojeda. Jackie’s vocal prowess is matched by the equally powerful rhythm section of drummer Jannea McClure and guitarist Jacob Heath. To say that the band shares musical chemistry would be a radical understatement. In the following song “Aftermath” Heath executes guitar lines that call to mind some of the more inventive playing of Omar Rodriguez Lopez of The Mars Volta. Bella Novela’s not so secret weapon is the rhythmic firepower of drummer Jannea. Her lighting quick drumming propels the band in only the way a truly great drummer can.
One of the things that keeps the album flowing seamlessly is the relentless, constantly shifting rhythms that run through the record. This type of music demands a band to not merely be well rehearsed, but to also constantly be in the moment in order to execute its barrage of tempos and changes.
At this point you might be asking yourself, what is the concept behind this concept record. How does this sound: the last woman on earth fighting for her survival in the midst of an apocalypse with zombies and vampires. That may seem like a lot to swallow, but once you start listening to the album, it makes more sense than you might imagine. It takes an over the top band to do such an over the top concept.
As the album reaches the finish line we are treated to the one of the most direct spaghetti western homages they could pay with the song “The Drifter.” A trumpet blares forth, creating a sense that the final stretch of the album is going to push the emotion and playing to their extremes. Once the epic and harrowing final song “The Last Act” hits, you can feel that this album is going to end big. Not just big, HUGE. When you hear Jackie sing “NO! This can’t be the way that it ends!” you can’t help but visualize a crowded room full of people shouting the same line back to the band. Those are the musical moments bands should not shy away. Anthemic is good, anthemic is powerful. But what happens to the Archeress? I can’t tell you that. You have to experience it yourself.
One closing thought, given the cinematic and episodic nature of this record, I could easily see this becoming the source material for a film adaptation. Someone NEEDS to make that happen.
I considered doing a typical end of the year top ten albums of 2011 list. Instead of doing that, I’m going to select a handful of records that I feel were landmark recordings for one reason or another. On that note, let’s begin.
“I Don’t Like You” the first full length album by Los Angeles based singer/songwriter Miniature Soap (a.k.a. Kelli Anne Noftle) shows an emotional complexity and vulnerability that is heightened by the musical arrangements on the album. Before we go much further, it’s important to note that the album is divided into three sections of three songs apiece. By having the record divided into these smaller movements, each offers up a different facet of her playing and arrangements that totals to a cohesive whole.
The first trio of songs opens up with the song “Do You Like Me?” It begins with a wordless ethereal voice singing amongst a small wave of acoustic instrumentation and minimal percussion that gives a you a little bit of an old timey feel. Rather than veer into nostalgia for a previous time, we are treated to a genuinely sweet song. “Pancake likes the syrup, pigeon likes the dirty street. Do you like me?” This sweetness is over almost as quickly as it began once the album’s title track “I Don’t Like You” kicks in. There is a powerful sense of pop muscle brimming through the song that climaxes with a singalong gang chorus repeating, “I don’t like you, I don’t like you.” In case the name of song didn’t give it away, the lyrics veer into relationship territory that many will find relate-able. The final song on this portion of the record, “Kalmia Street,” revisits the territory of “Do You Like Me?” but in a more expanded fashion.
For the second third of the album we are quickly ushered into musical territory that can best be described as leaning towards an alt-country feel. The trio of songs “No More Room,” “Arm’s Length Away” and “How to Kiss a Ghost” have a unified sound and feel that holds them together very well. The subject matter of these songs pierce a very personal part of her that oozes out in every line. It is a rare feat for an artist to convey so much emotion in the way that she does on this record.
The final portion of the album turns its gaze inward with the piano ballad “Lexicon.”
“I walked beneath the overpass The one beside your old house And wrote a lexicon for us A dictionary for mistrust Does language make consciousness Or is it just the opposite? Your mouth (an empty pocket).”
The pedal steel guitar towards the end of the song gives it an almost mournful quality for those events passed. A song like this would have no problem finding a home in a film drama after some emotional epiphany.
“Snow Angel” has one of the best closing lines to any song that I have ever heard.
“Surely darkness will hide me And the light become the night around me.”
The closing track “Mouse in My Kitchen” is an instrumental that seems to encapsulate the whole experience of the record. You can interpret it as a calming meditation on the thoughts and sounds you just experienced. For all the heartache the record deals with, you are left with a sense that it may be ok, that it is possible to carry on.
