Actor (studio album)
by St. Vincent

Some of the most sonically adventurous art-rock I've ever heard. This album repeatedly throws new sounds and ideas at the listener, and isn't afraid to become harsh and abrasive when the moment is right. Clark's vocal melodies are obtuse and meandering, but incredibly evocative. The album's momentum tapers off a bit after the halfway mark, but the first six songs are absolute perfection (and the rest is still great).

From JoaoMoreira 03/19/2018 17:27 | #211283

A strong and defying record that misses something that would make it brilliant.
I understand this one as a finding-your-way-album with some good moments.

From ImmortalAl 09/06/2017 21:50 | #197394

Sufficient, though I've heard better from her.

My personal favorite from St. Vincent: Actor, solidifies her as a serious artist if you didn't already believe so on Marry Me. She builds upon all the elements that makes Marry Me good and brings in the staple St. Vincent sound we hear on her later albums. Actor Out of Work is a hectic rock tune that is just as catchy as it is experimental and the spectacular Marrow really puts St. Vincent on the forefront of Alt-Rock/Pop. Quieter moments like The Party and Just the Same But Brand New are easy to get lost in and shows how she's able to keep that jazz influence amidst the chaos that is Actor. The only gripe I have is that the closing song: The Sequel is so anti-climactic for such a boundary pushing album. Overall, this is a great listen. It's fun, catchy, loud and hectic and all in all, a good time.

From Komorebi-D 02/28/2017 02:53 | #186505

I've had a complex relationship with her work. It started with people persuading me to listen to her albums and hell, I don't mind Strange Mercy & her self-entitled but never enough to consider myself invested in what she is doing. Thanks to Actor, today I can say that can consider myself that way. Wow this is massive! It's like Feist meets Sufjan meets Fiona Apple.

Another solid album from st. Vincent. As always, beautifully crafted songs all delivered in that unique way. Probably not quite as focused as, marry me, but still another superb effort from one of the most interesting artists in the world today.

St. Vincent's "Actor" may be her most ambitious work to date. While "Strange Mercy" and "St. Vincent" developed her pop sense as well as built what has rapidly been recognized as her signature style, "Actor" lacked parameters for its songs and did little more (and perhaps less) than its predecessor to appeal to a more general audience. Singles like "Marrow" or "Actor Out of Work" are dizzying and reptilian, gutting the listener with their building sense of peril. "The Party" and "Laughing With a Mouth of Blood" are forerunners of Annie's darker tones being layered into beautiful or simple melodies and instrumentation that are only noted on repeated listens. This was also her last album (aside from the "Love This Giant" collaboration) that utilized her ability to construct songs that abandoned pop for layered majesty in the climax with stand out (and knock out punch tracks) "Black Rainbow" and "Just the Same but Brand New". As much as I continue to admire and garner new types of respect for Annie's career, her shift to beating listeners over the head with the overt darkness of her lyrics as well as the simplification of the songs (although a deceptive simplicity), It saddens me that many of the tools that made "Actor" stand over "Marry Me" have been lost with the later releases.

Very artsy album but bloody hell she is talented. Witty lyricism, tight composition and unbelievably-unique guitar riffs make Annie Clark one of the most underrated musicians of today, and this album just further emphasizes her talent.
Even though it can seem to drag from song-to-song, there are still many strong moments on this album, particularly "Actor out of Work", "Save Me From What I Want" and the confident "Marrow".

From zdwyatt 10/24/2013 20:36 | #89137

She is as adventurous as anyone she's ever played with, but with a sort of ferocity that prevents her from being precious or pretentious. Actor is definitely one of the most creative and bold albums from this year.

A really good album that gets better after every listen.