Now that we’ve all begun to recover a bit from Mardi Gras and St. Patrick’s Day is a few merciful weeks away, it’s time to get back into the flow of spring concerts. Thinks kick off in earnest on Monday with St. Vincent bringing her new tour to The Civic. Annie Clark (who performs under the moniker St. Vincent) has spent her career on the cutting edge of independent music. Her 2014 self-titled release was one of the best records of that year and featured on my top ten list. Last year she followed that record with the release of the similarly outstanding Masseducation. Clark has honed her distinct combination of rock and experimental pop into an effortlessly engrossing whole. The novelty of her arrangements accents the vivd nature of her lyricism. Her ear matches her eye for detail and ability to build seemingly epic tales within subtle observations. In addition to the craft of the tracks themselves, Clark is one of the great guitar players of our time. In 2012 Clark recorded a collaborative record with David Byrne called Love This Giant. This partnership with Byrne amplified Clark’s already aggressive aesthetic and styling of her live performances. She is known for pushing the boundaries of the traditional rock show. For the first leg of this tour she received the Live Act of the Year award from Consequence of Sound. She has stripped the performance back to herself and her guitar accompanied by a backing track and the stunning visuals that have accompanied the tracks of the new record. By removing the expected form of the rock show, she pushes the focus back onto herself and her work and highlights those areas where she truly excels. This will be a great opportunity to catch one of the true innovators on the indie circuit today. Watch the video for “Los Ageless” below.
To Do This Week
Tonight drop by the Maple Leaf to catch The Trio. Tomorrow Kermit Ruffins is at Blue Nile. Friday Pedro The Lion drops into One Eyed Jacks. Astral Project is at the Jazz and Heritage Center for two shows on Saturday. Monday St. Vincent plays The Civic. Tuesday you can see Chip Wilson and Marcello Benetti at Chickie Wah Wah for the early show.
To Listen This Week
- Check out Lucy Dacus’ video for “Addictions” via Youtube
- Sylvan Esso have released a great video for their new track via Youtube
- New single from James Blake via CoS
