Our countdown of the Ten Best Albums of 2009 rolls on. In case you missed No. 10 and No. 9, there they are.
Take a quick glance at Annie Clark, a.k.a. St. Vincent, up there. She's really pretty, isn't she? Her skin is flawless; her eyes are gorgeous. She's really quite striking. Stare at her closer, though. There's something a little unsettling about this picture, isn't there? She's sort of smiling, but not really. Her eyes seem happy, but I don't know, it's too hard to tell. We're framed too tight or something. I don't know. It's kind of creepy.
And thus we are introduced to St. Vincent's Actor at the eighth spot in our countdown. This album is creepy and beautiful. Clark is the sole composer of a kind of avant garde, orchestral, Disney, pop-rock music. (Use enough adjectives, Zak?) There are grandiose orchestral bits that could trumpet Snow White to a castle, and there are fuzzy guitar blasts to make any metal junky headbang. Through it all is Clark's soft, serious, loving -- motherly -- voice. She never wavers, painting dreary pictures of denial, subservience, and unhappiness that typify the characters in her lyrics. The hostility explodes from the music, not from the singer. She remains externally gentle while her music represents the internal tumult. Actor is the result of the juxtaposition and interweaving, and it's seriously good stuff.
Please notice how the primary color of her guitar, her fingernails, her lipstick, and her skirt all match perfectly. If that's not the sexiest thing in the world, well, I give up.
Eighth Best Album of 2009: St. Vincent, Actor
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