The Hidden Stuff: Part 1.

As I continue to neglect my fine studies here at this university, I feel a need to make up for slow news days. Mind you, when I say "slow news", I mean that I don't really have anything to say about the Super Bowl since I literally did not watch a single frame of the actual game as it took place live. And I did make up a cockamamie theory about how this game has to be rigged because the fourth quarter looked impossibly unrealistic in it suddenly turning a game from sort of boring to (apparently) one of the greatest games ever, which means it'll be remembered like the Giants/Bills Super Bowl back in 1990 (or '91) was remembered: only sparingly and for one menial thing.

Anyways, this is not what this post discusses. This is my excuse to add more actual music discussion to the mix, and talk about some of the stuff that I can't really send to the paper on the issue of it being way untimely. Also, this list is just ongoing, because obviously, there's a billion albums in the world, and I've heard maybe a couple thousand or more of these. But there's always something that deserves even the slightest modicum of new attention. So here goes entry number one:

1. St. Vincent - Marry Me
Original Release: July 2007

In the indie songstress spectrum, people would bring up the coolness of Jenny Lewis, the soft voice of Leslie Feist, and the bravado of Neko Case. But not many really give points for being cute without being grating, which might actually be the most difficult part of indie music since at the end of the day, the music will always fit in with the right style.

However, Annie Clark's debut solo record under the name of St. Vincent is entirely charming. Clark's lyrics are more revealing of her own personal quirks, and her penchant for indie pop culture. (For example, the record's title comes from a reference to beloved cult television show Arrested Development.) She likes spinning the traditional pop song on its head, as there are definite hooks throughout, but that the guitar might be a bit noisy or that more atmosphere will be added to the proceedings. The minutia throughout Marry Me spread around the exact touches that make this record spectacular. (Such as the "bah bah bum bum" that's in the background on the video below, for "Jesus Saves, I Spend.")



I won't lie, you might not like it nearly as much. Half of the album is poppy, but in a noisy way and the other half is entirely comprised of vintage-styled -- as in 1940s, not 1980s -- ballads that are entrancing, but kind of hard to get into on first listen. Still, it's the wintertime and the industry's probably going to be in a drought of truly interesting material for the next couple of months at least. You can't hurt anything by at least attempting to give in to the catchy wiles of a striking woman from New York.

http://www.myspace.com/stvincent