St. Vincent – Strange Mercy
By Jack Daniel Betz
The echoes of St. Vincent’s days as a member of the whacky Polyphonic Spree are not yet gone from her recordings. In fact, on “Strange Mercy” they’re more sonorous than ever. Clark’s new album benefits from the bleeps and bloops of wonky synths and occasional drum machines, while still being very listenable as a serious work far beyond the only momentary appeal of indie-pop.
“Surgeon” is a serene, chorus-filled recording driven by warbling synths, strings, and recurring Yes-like guitar-lines. The song ends with Clark stabbing through the mix with stacatto oohs and ahs over a Wakeman-esque Moog solo. This is all happily reminiscent of bands like the Dirty Projectors.
The frank lyrics of “Cheerleader” deal with the problem of being a yes-woman in a bad relationship. The jovial weirdness is still here, but reinforced by strong, meaningful lyrics. A solid and worthy addition to an already formidable discography.
