Tour dates have been announced for St. Vincent in support of her forthcoming record due out on May 5th on 4AD.  Surprisingly enough, it seems to be lacking any Georgia dates.  But you’re in luck as she’s coming to Birmingham in June to perform at the Bottletree Cafe.  For some reason, I still haven’t driven up to Birmingham for any show in years.  If I’m still living here by the time June rolls around, than I may just show up for this.

MP3: St. Vincent :: “The Strangers”

St. Vincent Tour Dates
5/19/2009 Somerville, MA Somerville Theatre
5/20/2009 New York, NY Webster Hall
5/21/2009 Philadelphia, PA Unitarian Church
5/22/2009 Washington, DC Black Cat
5/24/2009 George, WA Sasquatch!
5/25/2009 Portland, OR Aladdin Theater
5/27/2009 San Francisco, CA Bimbo’s 365 Club
5/28/2009 Los Angeles, CA El Rey Theatre
5/30/2009 San Diego, CA Casbah
5/31/2009 Phoenix, AZ Modified
6/2/2009 Denver, CO Bluebird Theater
6/3/2009 Omaha, NE Slowdown Jr.
6/4/2009 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
6/5/2009 Milwaukee, WI Pabst Theater
6/7/2009 Chicago, IL Epiphany
6/10/2009 Lexington, KY The Dame
6/11/2009 Nashville, TN Mercy Lounge
6/12/2009 Manchester, TN Bonnaroo
6/16/2009 Birmingham, AL Bottletree
6/18/2009 Dallas, TX Granada Theatre
6/19/2009 Austin, TX Mohawk

Annie Clark, a.k.a. St. Vincent, will be releasing her sophomore album May 5 via 4AD records. Today we got our first taste of the studio version of her new songs, and all I can say is that now I’m even more excited for this album. Album opener “The Strangers” is everything I want in a St. Vincent song: beautiful singing, sweet melodies, and a dash of crazy guitar to spice things up. Listen for yourself, and if you’re like me, you’ll be getting pretty excited too.

MP3: St. Vincent: “The Strangers”

An album i’ve been enjoying as of late comes from Anni Rossi, who currently resides in the Chicago area and recently added to the mighty 4AD label.  Ms. Rossi, a 23-year old classically trained and accomplished multi-instrumentalist, has been around for a couple of years now, as i’ve seen her mentioned in a few places going as far back as 2006.  She plays a type of sound that I’ve suddenly decided to dub as “viola-pop.” What is this you may ask?  I honestly have no idea, but her acoustic-based songs revolve around the almost frantic-like use of a viola, so there you have it.

Her debut full-length, Rockwell, is due out on March 10th.  Definitely worth checking out if you’re curious.

MP3: Anni Rossi :: “Ecology”
MP3: Anni Rossi :: “Machine”

It seems the extremely cold weather has calmed down a bit, as it has become a little warmer around here this week.  Which makes the timing of this announcement about Camera Obscura’s forthcoming album all the more exciting.  It’s almost as if Spring is already here, as listening to anything from this group is almost like having a little bit of sunshine in the palm of your hand.  I dare you to listen to them and not at least feel as if your day hasn’t been brightened even slighty.

The band recently signed to 4AD, which will release their fourth album titled My Maudlin Career (I love that name!) due out on April 21st.  Also, the title track has been made available for download, which prompted me to turn the volume all the way up on my speakers before I started to listen.

The first thing I noticed right away is the twinkling piano that continues throughout the entire song, followed by a ringing guitar solo towards the end.  It’s absolutely lovely, and of course, Tracyanne Campbell’s sweet, saccharine vocals are always a treat to hear.  It may not have the immediate punch of “Lloyd, I’m Ready to be Heartbroken” or “Let’s Get Out of This Country” from the last album, but it’s good enough in its own right.

MP3: Camera Obscura :: “My Maudlin Career”