Concertwire.com

Two years ago, Annie Clark’s recorded debut as St. Vincent, "Marry Me", gave immediate notice that a dizzying new talent had emerged from the flatlands of Texas. Critics from all points of the cultural compass-from Pitchfork to Spin to the New York Times Magazine-were entranced by the album’s precocious arrangements and elegant lyrics, and the steadily growing crowds at St. Vincent’s live shows were astonished by Clark’s gargantuan musical chops and her magnetic stage presence. "Actor", St. Vincent’s beguiling, sophisticated new record, takes that debut’s ambition as its starting point and never looks back. The arrangements are more masterful, the songwriting grander, the performances ever more confident and inspired. Clark developed an idiosyncratic writing process for Actor, immersing herself in some of her favorite films ’ Badlands, Pierrot le Fou, The Wizard of Oz, Stardust Memories, Sleeping Beauty ’ and beginning each song as a secret film score, then slowly giving it independence as its structure and lyrics came fully into focus. The resulting eleven tracks are as cinematic as pop songs can be, but the movie is a private one, revealing its storyline in hushed, cunning couplets and cascades of scathing guitar. As the terrifyingly beautiful movie inside Clark’s head flickers across the screen, we can all feel privileged to be in the seats.