Try to Write You a Love Song - A St. Vincent Thread

[epilogue]

London crowd was tepid on stuff like Cruel, cheerleader, actor, etc, but went wild for self-titled songs. I guess that was her breakout album here maybe?

I think that was her breakout album everywhere.

[epilogue]

Here it's just her on stage for the whole show, with a lot piped in,and there was often a clear difference in sound between her guitar and the backing track which detracted a bit. Plus the crowd was a bit underwhelming

No offense but it sounds like they were giving back what they were getting. I'd be pretty bummed if I paid to see an artist of St. Vincent's caliber and she was basically doing karaoke to her own music.

Yup. If that's what I get in November I'll be disappointed.

Yeah, I definitely preferred the self-titled tour gig a coupla years back. I wonder why she went this route.

I mean... so much of the new record is synths and loops. If she's not doing new live band arrangements of those songs, I have no problem with stuff being piped in. As long as she's engaged with the music, her and a guitar and some images sounds pretty awesome.

[ABNorman]

Here it's just her on stage for the whole show, with a lot piped in,and there was often a clear difference in sound between her guitar and the backing track which detracted a bit. Plus the crowd was a bit underwhelming

No offense but it sounds like they were giving back what they were getting. I'd be pretty bummed if I paid to see an artist of St. Vincent's caliber and she was basically doing karaoke to her own music.

Yup. If that's what I get in November I'll be disappointed.

Yeah, I definitely preferred the self-titled tour gig a coupla years back. I wonder why she went this route.

I mean... so much of the new record is synths and loops. If she's not doing new live band arrangements of those songs, I have no problem with stuff being piped in. As long as she's engaged with the music, her and a guitar and some images sounds pretty awesome.

Yeah, hopefully the guitar sound/backing track mismatch gets sorted going forward.

[epilogue]

Here it's just her on stage for the whole show, with a lot piped in,and there was often a clear difference in sound between her guitar and the backing track which detracted a bit. Plus the crowd was a bit underwhelming

No offense but it sounds like they were giving back what they were getting. I'd be pretty bummed if I paid to see an artist of St. Vincent's caliber and she was basically doing karaoke to her own music.

Yup. If that's what I get in November I'll be disappointed.

Yeah, I definitely preferred the self-titled tour gig a coupla years back. I wonder why she went this route.

I mean... so much of the new record is synths and loops. If she's not doing new live band arrangements of those songs, I have no problem with stuff being piped in. As long as she's engaged with the music, her and a guitar and some images sounds pretty awesome.

Yeah, hopefully the guitar sound/backing track mismatch gets sorted going forward.

Or she elaborates on it more and gets to some fancy wonking.

[tragabigzanda]

Top 10 maybe?
Hello Morning
Close Captioned
The Kill
Place/Position
Do You Like Me?
Latest Disgrace
Recap Modotti
Nightshop
Break
Life & Limb

I'd maybe bump Life & Limb for Epic Problem

[Kevin Davis]

I try not to be too puritanical about things like this but a pre-recorded backing track, pre-mixed and piped through a sound system at a single frequency, just does not fill a room or possess the same sonic impact as a live band, whatever such a thing would entail like for songs like these. Annie is not the first artist to be faced with the task of adapting nontraditional instrumentation to a live setting, and for an artist with her sense of imagination and vision, singing karaoke over a pre-recorded track is the easy way out (unless its some sort of "meta" component of the art, in which case I will add it to the list of art things I do not understand).

[Jorge]

Backing track + live band can be real good. Backing track + just a singer is shitty. Backing track + singer + guitar ... ? Not sure

[LetMeSleep]

Brixton Academy is an awfully huge stage and room for that show (from the sounds of it). I'd be unimpressed with that as a punter.

[Kevin Davis]

I saw Kanye West with a backing track and a small string section. The sound was flat, completely lacking dynamic, and the arrangement of musicians onstage only called attention to how much of the music coming over the speakers was pre-recorded. It's not a principle thing for me; I've just been to a variety of shows like this that simply didn't work.

[epilogue]

Sure. And this may be another one of those that doesn't work. I've never been to a show like that, so I have no frame of reference. On paper, though, it doesn't sound like a bad idea to me. I'm still excited to see how she handles the execution.

[LetMeSleep]

Sure. And this may be another one of those that doesn't work. I've never been to a show like that, so I have no frame of reference. On paper, though, it doesn't sound like a bad idea to me. I'm still excited to see how she handles the execution.

Definitely could work in the right room.

[bodysnatcher]

i just listened to Actor for the first time and really enjoyed it

[swan]

This will be a little too long/stream of consciousness but I need to write it somewhere: Finally gotten around to giving this 5-6 spins over the last couple days, as I was on my honeymoon last week.

As a huge fan of hers since 2009, I have many varying thoughts/feelings about this album. A lot of what's here was pretty surprising at first. The techno-pop stuff is not really my thing, and this Antonoff guy's production style doesn't do much for me. (edit: just found out this guy is the lead guitarist of the band Fun. makes more sense now ) That said, I'm really happy that she's continuing to try new things & has never even come close to making the same album twice. This IS a really good album, and it's getting better with each spin. Even though it doesn't hit me as hard as her earlier work. It sounds really full & alive most of the time, and I actually appreciate the way her guitar work has morphed in to something that usually sounds nothing like guitar work.

Pills is a pretty fantastic song. I was worried the first time I heard the beginning that it was about to be super cheesy, but it really fucking works & I love it. For me Los Ageless is the standout track. Possibly an all-timer in her catalog. I think you could hear a bit of the direction she was gonna go here in Del Rio & Bad Believer from the last album cycle. New York works way better in the context of the full album. She's always had a knack for doing really strange, dark closing tracks & that continues on this one. Smoking Section is a pretty effective ending statement. I want to like Masseduction & Sugarboy, more than I do, and it honestly makes me feel kinda old to not connect with them. The lyrics I think are part of the problem for me there. She can do so much better from a writing perspective, but hey, it ain't exactly easy is it?

I would love to discuss Happy Birthday Johnny more in depth with folks here. First couple times around it really didn't grab me & seemed pretty bland. For whatever reason on my third spin I got super locked in, and the song just crushed me. Like to the point of tears. I've become obsessed with the story of the song & where it comes from. If it is a first-person account of something from her life (as she's suggested about the album as a whole in at least 1 article I've read) then it is one of the most touching & devastating songs I can ever remember. For me, personally it just hits a very tough spot. I know the name John/Johnny is very prevalent in her writing all the way through, so I wonder if this is/was a real person? Not that it needs to be or is even my business to know, but wow it's just really getting to me. Pieces like this just illustrate what an amazing artist she is, she can really distill some complex life shit down in to amazingly simple & poignant melodies (and of course lyrics)

I think there's a good chance the album will age well, and may end up being a masterpiece. Also I should say that I've only been listening to this on vinyl, so I have a pretty defined experience of the 1st & 2nd halves being their own separate albums almost. Not to mention how much better everything sounds cranked on a system, versus youtube audio with the videos or any streaming service (obvious, I know, but I did notice a huge difference this time)

For me Strange Mercy still stands as her best album. I also still think some of her best individual song work is from the Love This Giant album. I admit to being worried by what I'm hearing about her first couple shows. If it really ends up just being her alone with backing tracks, that could be real bad. But I'll give her the benefit of the doubt & allow for the possibility that it could be fucking amazing. Her live shows have been among the best I've seen over the last decade, so I do have faith. I will miss her live band with Toko & Daniel Mintseris, they were fucking killer. We got tickets to the Seattle show, because she is playing my least favorite/the worst venue for the Portland date.


TL,DR: St. Vincent is still one of the great musical artists working today, and this album shows that she still has lots left in the tank. Happy to have it in the collection, even if it doesn't make it over the very high bar she's set previously.

[Birds in Hell]

i just listened to Actor for the first time and really enjoyed it

This is the only St. Vincent record I've given any real time to and I really like it too.

[bodysnatcher]

i just listened to Actor for the first time and really enjoyed it

This is the only St. Vincent record I've given any real time to and I really like it too.

i admit i am completely ignorant to St. Vincent's discography, i have only really listened to S/T and now Masseducation. but from my meager listening history, i can hear the beginnings of where she is now in "Actor Out Of Work" and "Marrow"

[swan]

Marrow is still my favorite St. Vincent song ever.

A lot of that is down to it absolutely slaying at the 2 David Byrne/St. Vincent tour shows I saw.

[LetMeSleep]

THIs is alright. I’m a bit confused by the cover and by the pop direction and collaborations. More listens needed.

[Brett]

i want to give the St Vincent album another listen, durds...

but Seattle is at the beginning stages of The Big Dark and I need some really droney, ambient stuff right now

That's a lot of grey days. If you've never dug into the Tortoise discography, now is a fine time to start. Ditto Steve Reich.

I have one Tortoise album that I bought on a lark way back in the day. I should revisit that. I remember liking it well enough but being bummed that it was instrumental. That used to bug me way back when. But I'm way more into non-vocal stuff more now. I should give it a listen.

Which Tortoise album, Joe? I'd be interested to hear your thoughts if you ever do get to revisit it.

[Norah]

Just noticed it's Los Ageless not Los Angeles.

[tragabigzanda]