Today marks the release of the breathlessly anticipated (well, by me anyway) Actor, by St. Vincent. Let’s see how that record stacks up against the other sophomore album released this past month by a quirky brunette twentysomething multi-instrumentalist with a pseudonym.
ACTOR versus TWO SUNS
In this corner: Annie Clark AKA St. Vincent, the wide-eyed Polyphonic Spree alum who previously won praise for Marry Me, the best (and/or only) album named after an Arrested Development quote. (I was kinda hoping her follow-up would be called I’ve Made a Huge Mistake.)
In the other corner: Natasha Khan AKA Bat for Lashes, the British free spirit whose debut, Fur and Gold, was strong enough to earn her an opening gig for Radiohead last year.
QUIRK FACTOR
Bat for Lashes: Art-school hippie mystic type. Enjoys leather headbands and crystal balls. Invented a blond “femme fatale” alter ego named Pearl; latest album, Two Suns, supposedly explores the dichotomy between the two personas. Has a thing for the Karate Kid.
St. Vincent: Like her doppelganger Miranda July, Clark is an expert at creating ripples of anxiety and psychosis beneath a whimsical, innocent surface. Claims Igor Stravinsky, Disney musicals and Robert Fripp as influences.
THE MUSIC
St. Vincent: The mix of avant-classical, noise-rock and bedroom pop sensibilities that informs Actor may never make Annie Clark a household name, but it’s sure as hell exciting to listen to. Clark worked with producer John Congleton (Polyphonic Spree, Modest Mouse) to create immaculate, nuanced orchestral arrangements that are frequently intruded upon by “abortiony” guitars to great effect. Fuzzy, spring-loaded “Actor out of Work” is the closest thing the album has to a single; other tracks (“The Strangers”, “Marrow”) contain too many compositional hair-pin turns to be immediately accessible, but draw you in nonetheless.
Bat for Lashes: While Actor is an intentionally tricky listen, Two Suns is an album that you sink into like a big comfy bed. Nothing abortion-y here, just lush sonic layers that build up and recede in waves. Seriously, listen to the drums on “Glass” and tell me you don’t want to kind of live in that song for a while. And Khan is equally at home in that track’s ominous tribal vibe as she is among twitchy electronica (“Two Planets”) and sparse piano landscapes (“Moon and Moon.”) A couple of the album’s more propulsive tracks, “Daniel” and “Pearl’s Dream”, benefit from beats and bass provided by former Brooklyn it-band (and fellow hippie-mystic outfit) Yeasayer.
VOCALS
Bat for Lashes: Singing-wise, Khan’s influences skew towards Bjork and/or Tori Amos; these formidable forebears, all too present on Fur and Gold, manage to hover around the edges of Two Suns without becoming obvious. Her voice, usually swathed in reverb, sounds haunted but not overly emotional; the description you’ll hear the most is “chilly.” On daring vocal showcase “The Big Sleep,” Khan trades lines with Scott Walker, who guest stars as his usual creepy self; barely accompanied and faced with one of more revered voices of the past half-century, she still maintains a strong presence.
St. Vincent: Clark has the dulcet voice most coffeehouse singers would kill for, but on Actor it’s the instrument by which some seriously disturbing thoughts are conveyed. Check out the claustrophobic narrative “The Neighbors” or pop charmer “Laughing with a Mouth of Blood.” The touches of twee that blemished some of the lyrics on Marry Me (talking about Mary and her little lamb, for instance) are gone; now she’s “holed up at the motel with the televangelist.” Cool.
AND THE WINNER IS…
I’ve had these two albums in heavy rotation over the past couple of weeks, and I’m totally into both. But I have to give the edge to St. Vincent, and not just because I saw her play the Echo back before anyone had heard of her (but, you know, I totally did.) Actor is more complex, more original, and ultimately more rewarding than Two Suns. While Khan makes gorgeous music, she never really transcends her influences, and her art-school schtick can be grating. (An “all-gay, all-black gospel choir” on a track? Please.)
Incidentally, both of these artists (and their backing bands) are playing the El Rey later this spring: St. Vincent on May 28 and Bat for Lashes on June 16. Don’t miss them.
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