Is she really comparable to Hendrix, Page or SRV though?
yes.
She's as revolutionary as all of those guys (ok, except for Hendrix), and there are plenty of examples on YouTube and such. She has definitely become more effects-heavy with her playing over the last few years. Her style is extremely unique, seemingly effortless, and she's THE best guitar player I've ever seen live (sorry, Tom M)...
I can't get into the albums nearly as much as the live performance, mainly because I'd rather watch her fuck the devil out of her axe
Not that it's terribly important in the long run, but it can be tough to gauge how players like Annie Clark -- who skew so far to the side of singularity that there really are no criteria to judge them on besides their own -- stack up against other players. One need look no further than Morello to find a guy who has cultivated a unique menu of tricks (and who was a perfect fit for a hip-hop band where his primary role was to add color and propulsion to the rhythm), but who sounds like an amateur when a more fundamental understanding of melody and harmony is called for, either stumbling around melodies that even moderately skilled players could pull off with ease or reaching into his grab bag of sound-effect gimmicks regardless of their appropriateness to the musical setting. Putting him on a list of all-time great guitar players is like putting the Harlem Globetrotters on a list of all-time great basketball players; they're amazing, but only when they can choose their own environment and ignore everyone else's rules.
Because Clark is also a composer and a frontwoman, I think her playing naturally tends more musical than Morello's. But it would still be tough for me to rank her alongside players like Bill Frisell or Richard Thompson, guys who have established equally individual voices -- both sonically and in terms of raw musicality -- but whose mastery over formal styles and theory makes a case for them as genuine masters and not savants. Not that players like Clark immediately fall into the latter camp -- they just make it hard to tell, and they probably prefer it that way.
I wouldn't say she's as technically proficient as a Frissel or a Gilmour, but neither are the other players I mentioned. They're all the most revolutionary of their time with the guitar, IMO... They each showed a new and exciting way to play, which is harder now than ever to accomplish. It doesn't take too much digging to find examples, and I don't care enough to write an essay on it, either. I've seen her live a lot. Never have I been in awe of a guitar player like I have been at a St. Vincent concert...
I think having seen what she can do at a solo gig is what has swayed me the most.
I love it. It's definitely my least favorite of hers. But that doesn't really mean anything. All of her albums are outstanding. She doesn't have a bad one. And they're all so different. It really depends on my mood. But I love the buzzing jazz quality of that first record. Reminds me of Paris.
Listening to S/T now for the first time. Hadn't really paid much attention to this band, but 3 songs in I'm pretty impressed with the innovation and diversity while still being musical.
southp wrote:Listening to S/T now for the first time. Hadn't really paid much attention to this band, but 3 songs in I'm pretty impressed with the innovation and diversity while still being musical.
southp wrote:Listening to S/T now for the first time. Hadn't really paid much attention to this band, but 3 songs in I'm pretty impressed with the innovation and diversity while still being musical.
Welcome to the team.
Thanks.
So I already know Birth in Reverse and Digital Witness. The latter I like quite a bit, and it oddly reminds of something from Prince. However my general feeling is that this sounds like nothing else I'm familiar with.
Whatever is going on at the end of Huey Newton is pretty insane - it almost required an immediate re-listen but I kept going.
southp wrote:Listening to S/T now for the first time. Hadn't really paid much attention to this band, but 3 songs in I'm pretty impressed with the innovation and diversity while still being musical.
Welcome to the team.
Thanks.
So I already know Birth in Reverse and Digital Witness. The latter I like quite a bit, and it oddly reminds of something from Prince. However my general feeling is that this sounds like nothing else I'm familiar with.
Whatever is going on at the end of Huey Newton is pretty insane - it almost required an immediate re-listen but I kept going.
Huey Newton is completely absurd. I hardly even think about it because it transcends the term "song" somehow. It's its own category.
