St. Vincent, Strange Mercy (2011)
Who They (She) Are (Is): St. Vincent is the performing name used by Annie Clark. A former member of the Polyphonic Spree, Clark released her first album under the St. Vincent name in 2007. Entitled Marry Me, it was a big success on the cool kid circuit, but not as impressive as her follow-up, 2009's Actor, which was one of those albums that everyone who follows indie music was required to have an opinion on. Actor garnered enough acclaim, that Clark undoubtedly felt a level of pressure she was previously spared of as she worked on the material that would become her third album, Strange Mercy.
First Impressions: This is pretty great. Part of the association undoubtedly comes from Clark's lovely vocals, but the album consistently reminded me of the sort of inside-out pop wonders Kate Bush used to make before her inner kookiness took over completely. If this pop music had followed this route instead of rushing salivating to the canned nonsense that now dominates Top 40 radio, it would have been a better outcome for us all.