St. Vincent — Actor

Annie Clark has performed as part of The Polyphonic Spree and been a member of Sufjan Stevens' touring band, but don't let that prejudice you. Actor, her second record, shows her starting to carve her own niche.

Clark's musical palette is far more complex. Actor opens with "The Strangers," on which she shows off her ability to match clever lyrics with clever orchestral bits. But first single "Actor Out Of Work" is a bit heavier with louder drumming than you'd ever hear on a Stevens record. The awesome "Marrow" sounds like what would result if Peaches and Xiu Xiu's Jamie Stewart had a child (yes, it's as ridiculous as that sounds).

While the above tracks are standouts, Clark loses her audience with "Black Rainbow" (which sounds like it belongs on a Stevens record) and "The Bed," which will probably draw Feist comparisons. Stevens' penchant for inserting completely serious Biblical references into his music also seems to have rubbed off on Clark a bit, but we'll let you decide whether that's a good or bad thing.

There's huge potential here, and Clark's next album should be really great if she can hone her songwriting and continue to differentiate from the people she's worked with.

Get it from