A breath of fresh air.
St. Vincent is the pseudonym of twenty-four year old American Annie Clark; who grew up crafting guitars from rubber bands and empty boxes before graduating to the real thing at the age of twelve; as an adult playing in the Polyponic Spree before turning solo. In a music scene rather saturated with singer-songwriters, many of whom think they can be behind something creative merely by singing about cliched romantic sadness and strumming a few well-worn chords, St Vincent is a breath of fresh air. 'Marry Me' is a varied record packed with surprising turns, singalong moments, original lyrics, strong vocals and musical inventiveness.
'Your Lips Are Red' and 'Paris Is Burning' have shades of Dresden Dolls punk cabaret in their crashing instruments and offbeat irresistibility. The former is a jealous yet sweet ode to one with red lips and fair skin, led along by electric guitars and soft vocals but occasionally dragged down a different path by noisy percussion and wayward pianos. 'Paris Is Burning', arguably the album's finest moment, opens quietly but soon builds into a tower of instruments, each balanced with a delicate intensity previously seen in places such as Bat For Lashes 'Fur And Gold'.
Title track 'Marry Me' is a downbeat affair, not so much a cliche of longing as a request to 'do what married people do' and reminding one of PJ Harvey's knack for adding an edge of darkness to that which may appear wholly innocent on the surface. 'Landmines' and 'All My Stars Aligned' provide another couple of slower moments, both purely romantic and the latter displaying a lounge/easy listening influence in its sparkling piano accompaniment; an influence that can be seen again in the instrumental 'We Put A Pearl In The Ground', a rather sickly piece that could easily become part of a film soundtrack.
St Vincent has a vocal range to be proud off, alternately husky and little-girl soft, allowing her to run through a variety of emotions and moods within one track and fit into the varied musical styles experimented with during this record. The only criticism that can be made towards 'Marry Me' is that the tracks could have been better arranged to prevent the feeling of gluttony that arises towards the end; too many sweet tracks grouped together become rather like a heavy syrup that could have been avoided with a spacing out of the faster tracks. It remains a gem of a record however, something that should not disappoint fans of singer songwriters and stands to prove the genre need not be boring.