Someone new to St. Vincent would think that Annie Clark’s dash of diva-ness comes from her inevitable and well-deserved fame of late, but having seen some of her earliest solo shows, I can attest that her on-stage persona has always been a little vixenish. Haven’t you paid attention to the lyrics of her previous hit “Now Now”? A refrain of “You don’t mean that, say you’re sorry” is, in the context of the song, chill-inducing scary.

Even when she says something totally modest like, “I can’t believe I’m playing here, thank you so much, you’ve been so kind, etc”, I still think she very well might be part-vampire, entirely capable of destroying me in a matter of seconds. I’m sure the devilish way in which she often pounds on her guitar is responsible for this impression.

[St. Vincent]

She was even dressed to fit my imagination last night, in a pair of laced black stockings, over which she wore black shorts matched with a black top, accented with blood-red lipstick and equally red nail polish. She was joined by a band that included a saxophone and what I think was a fiddle (if not a violin or a viola). In a song called “Marrow”, off her new album, Actor, the saxophone blared over a steady stream of flat, 80s-inspired beats, and it sounded like all seven sins were involved in the making of that tune.

Pattern Is Movement was the opening act. Other than having a fantastic band name and lovable personalities, both Andrew Thiboldeaux and Chris Ward are nothing less than champions of music. When they play, it’s almost as if they carry a torch while wearing a shirt that says “Isn’t music such an awesome thing?”, and proceed to sprint like world-record holders. They were amazing.

[Pattern Is Movement]

Former Polyphonic Spree-ite Annie Clark, perhaps better known after 2007’s Marry Me as St. Vincent, has announced the details of her forthcoming follow-up, Actor.

Actor is her second solo album, set for a May 5 release date on 4AD. She produced the album herself with help from John Congleton, who’s produced for Modest Mouse and, of course, The Spree. Clark plays guitar, bass and keyboard on the record, plus stretching out her vocal cords. The album will also feature woodwinds, French horns and three percussionists.

The first single from the album is “Actor Out of Work,” and it will be out April 20. Clark has dates coming up in San Francisco for Noise Pop and Austin for SXSW.

St. Vincent – Actor
01 The Strangers
02 Save Me From What I Want
03 Neighbors
04 Actor Out of Work
05 Black Rainbow
06 Laughing With a Mouth of Blood
07 Marrow
08 The Bed
09 The Party
10 Just the Same But Brand New
11 The Sequel

St. Vincent tour dates
02.27.09 – San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall (Noise Pop Festival)
03.18.09 – Austin, TX – Central Presbyterian Church (4AD SXSW showcase)
03.20.09 – Austin, TX – Antone’s (Billions Corporation SXSW showcase)