This New Music Friday is brought to you by artist Annie Clark, aka St. Vincent. Most people have rubbed elbows with her music whether they realize it or not. Read on to see what else is worth a listen this week. First, a few notes about St. Vincent’s seventh studio record.
The Best of New Music Friday:
St. Vincent – All Born Screaming
Annie Clark can release about whatever she wants at this point in her career. She already is, has and probably will continue to. Clark’s put out critically acclaimed records under the St. Vincent mantra for nearly 20 years. In that time she’s gone from Polyphonic Spree member, Sufjan Stevens backing band guitarist, Taylor Swift’s personal songwriter, filled in for Kurt Cobain at Nirvana’s 2014 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony and developed a lifelong friendship with David Byrne. Clark was in those positions because she’s written lauded records like her debut album Marry Me, the super hits Actor and Strange Mercy, the reality-warping Masseduction, 70’s Broadway concept record Daddy’s Home and now All Born Screaming.
What separates Clark from her contemporaries is her ability to make everyone want to play to her sound. In the 80’s, Michael Jackson commissioned Eddie Van Halen to play a guitar solo on “Beat It.” Anyone who’s ever tuned into a classic radio station would know Van Halen’s guitar sound. Van Halen played how he wanted on that track. On All Born Screaming, Clark had household name Dave Grohl play drums for two tracks. The first is “Broken Man,” where the funky fast-paced percussion sounds nothing like Grohl’s classic Nirvana or Queens of the Stone Age drumming style. The same goes for “Flea,” where Grohl gladly plays second fiddle to Clark’s bending guitars. Clark can tap special guests to contribute to her albums. There’s a sense they’ll do what she tells them because they trust her judgment.
One artist Clark did ask to bring their individual style to the All Born Screaming recording sessions was Welsh rocker Cate Le Bon. Le Bon offers up bass guitar and backing vocals on “The Power’s Out” and gets a feature credit on the album’s closer and title track “All Born Screaming.” Le Bon’s absurdist musical reality is heard loud and clear on this track, opening a different world than the ones peered into throughout the album.
It’s been a while since Clark’s delivered a record that isn’t based on concepts like the latex-covered Masseduction or theater-themed Daddy’s Home. It’s tracks like “Flea” where listeners can remember exactly what kind of lyricist Clark is. “I look at you and all I see is meat,” she grimly says before a classic St. Vincent chorus belts out. “Drip you in diamonds // Pour you in cream // You will be mine for eternity,” Clark sings over stretched guitars and hard-hitting drums.
“Big Time Nothing” is a great chance for Clark to bring back a groovy tune. “Don’t kid, don’t blame // Don’t snap, insane // Don’t crack, don’t act your age // Don’t change your name,” she quips with fuzz and sirens laden below her voice. “It’s all the rage.”
Annie Clark has nothing new to prove but she is anyway. All Born Screaming is a welcome refresher for Clark to share what she’s best at and return to exploratory roots in her career’s newest chapter. She told reporters that this album is just what was in her head. If everyone is born screaming, it’s nice to hear Clark’s head is filled with enough shouting to be reborn, louder and clearer than ever.
New Music Friday Top Picks:
Blue Canopy & A Beacon School – “Bright Spot II”
Bonnie McKee – “Jenny’s Got A Boyfriend”
Crumb – “The Bug”
Ezra Collective – “Ajala”
Which of these tracks from New Music Friday will you add to your favorite playlists today? Any we missed? Let us know in the comments or on Instagram!
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