Lots of music videos popping up lately — too many to keep up with as a matter of fact. Conveniently, most of these come courtesy of Pitchfork, among other places. I guess you could call this a lazy attempt at a blog post, but it’s better than nothing.

The videos can be viewed after the cut, and include new stuff from Jonsi, St. Vincent, Spoon, Toro Y Moi and Massive Attack.

Read the rest of this entry »

In one of the more exciting, and at the same time disappointing, recent tour announcements came in the pairing of St. Vincent and Andrew Bird for a number of dates that started at the beginning of September.  I only say disappointing as there were no tour dates remotely nearby.

Of course, I come across this live session of the two simply jamming playing together in front of a small crowd somewhere in France I imagine.  The video is excellent, especially towards the end as Bird adds his violin skills to a few choice tunes from Annie Clark’s recent record.  This only hammers home how bummed I am to not be able to attend any of their shows together.

Remaining tour dates can be seen after the cut.

Read the rest of this entry »

Annie Clark aka St. Vincent recently performed a set of three solo acoustic songs as part of the “Lake Fever Sessions”, which documents artist performances with HD video and multitrack audio.  The three songs include “Actor Out of Work” and “The Strangers” both of which can be found on the latest album, Actor — along with bonus track “Oh My God”.

I’m currently in the midst of my second listen through St. Vincent’s sophomore album, Actor, and the hype is well justified as far as I’m concerned. Definitely pick up what will undoubtedly be one of the best albums this year.

Other notable releases worth checking out include the very good Portland group Starfucker and their latest, Jupiter; Akron/Family’s Set ‘Em Wild, Set ‘Em Free; Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band’s Outer South; and Deradoorian’s (Angel from Dirty Projectors) Mind Raft EP.

Read the rest of this entry »

Another track has surfaced from St. Vincent’s upoming album, Actor. Just like when I posted “The Strangers,” I can say that each little tast of this album I get makes me a little more excited for when it comes out on the cinco de mayo, 2009. “Actor Out of Work” is a brief but rocking burst of energy, and shows that Annie Clark can make a slow song or a fast one and still make us love her

You can preorder the album here, and in the meantime enjoy this bust of happy noise…

MP3: St. Vincent:“Actor Out of Work”

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”