I watched this a couple of times over the weekend and it is very, very good. St. Vincent performing live in Paris recently as part of the Pitchfork festival. Many of Ms. Clark's recent shows had been a relative disappointment in my opinion, lacking the emotional fire of her shows during the first half of the year. This is much better and sees a recharged and very self-assured St. Vincent proudly showcasing her new look (very Thin White Duke). What I didn't like about some of the summer festival shows was a lack of energy and a sense of running on autopilot. What I find in this performance is a more thoughtful and measured St. Vincent. After a long year of touring, these songs must fit her a glove and, yet, there is no sense of going through the motions. Much is made of St. Vincent's musicianship but her other instrument, her singing voice, is just as important and here she seems to be taking her time, stretching out some words, punctuating some lines with a percussive and theatrical breath, whilst retaining the emotional expressivity that is so important. I also sense rather more warmth here in her onstage demeanour in contrast to some of this summer's shows where there was rather more of a frosty dismissiveness on display. Interestingly, there is now a fifth band member, a third keyboardist. It is worth noting that the most striking thing about Annie Clark's touring band since 2011 has been the lack of a bass player. This does put more pressure on Clark and her drummer but the recruitment of a third keyboard player indicates that she is very happy with this sound.
Where does she go from here? The recent single, Pieta/Sparrow, is very interesting. Although these songs are outtakes from the current album and have been performed live this year, these versions showcase a more adventurous sonic palette and an ever-developing assimilation of her diverse influences. I can't wait to see where the next album takes St. Vincent on her very interesting career trajectory.
Great performance and a long solo from tenor sax player Paul Gonzalves in the first one.
Re: You Tube Videos
Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2015 11:11 pm
by mcq
I think this is utterly beautiful. Janis Ian singing Stars in 1974 on The Old Grey Whistle Test. A very personal and deeply moving song that was rejected countless times before finally finding acceptance and which took 2 years for Ian to summon up the courage to sing it onstage. This is a song that I find very striking for its emotional directness as well as its sense of sincerity and human anguish at the transitory nature of fleeting glory.
And here is the great Nina Simone covering it during her concert at Montreux in 1976. Nina's perspective is older and wiser and imbued with noble strength and a sense of indignance at life's injustices. She also hones in on what I think are the key lines, "Some make it when they're old, perhaps they have a soul they're not afraid to bare, or perhaps there's nothing there", slowing down the musical accompaniment, singing these heartfelt lines in a near-whisper and looking blankly at her audience. An intensely moving experience.
The Greek Audiophiles - in case you haven't seen it in a whi
The guy in the truck really amuses me. He reminds me of a series of radio adverts by the logistics firm (long since gone!) SDS. The adverts featured Seamus form Kowboy Karriers. Seamus, a Dubliner, was round the block a few times and was not going to be stitched up by anyone. Prospective customers phoned Kowboy Karriers requesting certain deliveries such as: "delivery of a parcel to Ballinasloe, fast". [Seamus could not get his head around slow/fast]. Or a "delivery of kettles to Boyle". [Seamus advised plugging them in]. Another requested a delivery to Bloody Foreland. [Seamus advised the caller to watch his language]. And more of the same.
Anyway you know what is going to happen, it tells you on the opening screens, but enjoy it anyway.
The utterly wonderful Hedvig Mollestad Trio performing La Boule Noire from their most recent album, Enfant Terrible, at a show in Oslo in April last year. The focus may be on the guitarist, Mollestad, for much of the time, but it is worth emphasising the fact that these are musical equals. The more you hear this music, the more you hear little riffs and duets (usually set up by the bassist who strikes me as the musical core of the group) between the drummer and guitarist which are subtly modulated and developed by the bassist. The telepathic understanding which these musicians share is what ultimately distinguishes them as jazz rather than rock musicians. The core language of this group is Tony Williams' Lifetime, Mahavishnu Orchestra and Cream, but these musicians have grown up surrounded by classic Seventies rock such as Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath as well as progressive rock and Eighties metal and all of these influences contribute to their group sound. What I love about their playing is how unapologetic they are about these varied influences and how dismissive they evidently are about what might be considered as musical clichés by snobbish critics. To recall Peter Hammill's great line, "Our rites of passage make us strong": they love their musical influences and they love playing this music together and it is clearly visible in their infectious energy and sense of unaffected joy that they project onstage.