Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Strange Mercy by Francis Gideon St. Vincent Strange Mercy Review. With the critical mass now in her favour, a commercial breakthrough seems inevitable for St. Vincent, known otherwise as Annie Clark: poster girl for indie rock, former member of Sufjan Stevens’ touring band, beloved of Bon Iver, Grizzly Bear and Andrew Bird. Her two previous albums have revealed an intelligent, offbeat but charming talent, and her live performances – both with a band and solo, surrounded by loops stations and echo boxes – have proven her an impressive musician. Furthermore, her feminine side is matched by an ability to play the boys at their own game – her recent virtuoso live cover of Big Black’s Kerosene sees her shred as effectively as anyone – rendering redundant lazy comparisons with the traditional canon of female performers. Strange Mercy, however, is a little underwhelming, full of ideas but struggling to find a coherent voice. Her charismatic performances still exhibit the trademark confidence that makes her so intriguing, but the album’s songwriting fails to deliver a standout track like Actor Out of Work or the eccentric, disorientating Marrow (both from 2009’s Actor). There are flashes of brilliance throughout, but opening track Chloe in the Afternoon – in which guitars crunch against woozy fairground keyboards and a stuttering, programmed beat until Clark attempts clumsily to cram the song’s title into the chorus – does her no favours. This is especially frustrating when she follows it with Cruel, a far more rounded, melodious track full of Disney-esque strings, galloping but simple rhythms, fuzzily ripped guitar lines and Clark’s tender but never reticent vocals. Northern Lights is grittier, guitars grating against a persistent snare tattoo, Vincent’s vocals heading into ethereal realms as noise bursts around her, while Hysterical Strength further confirms her instrumental prowess. Surgeon, too – which opens with a tip of the hat to John Barry’s You Only Live Twice – is a moody and atmospheric song that takes unexpected turns, especially its weird foray into the kind of synth-pop perfected by Wally Badarou in the 1980s. But throughout there’s a distance between performer and audience: despite being teased by notable lines like "I don’t want to be a cheerleader no more", "If I ever meet the dirty policeman who roughed you up" and ‘Oh, America, can I owe you one?" it’s hard not to feel cheated by irritatingly impenetrable lyrics like "By your heel heal my hurt horse hair whip be your floor", as though she daren’t let us get too close. Champagne (with its melodic reference to Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah) and Year of the Tiger prove that she can be smart as well as approachable, but ultimately Strange Mercy sounds like her best record still lies ahead, once she feels a little more at ease with balancing her obviously multiple talents. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Licence. If you choose to use this review on your site please link back to this page. Exposed: 10 Female Guitarists You Should Know, Part 3. There’s one thing that has become very clear to me. There is no shortage of talented, diverse female guitarists out there that are worth a listen, or two, or three. Here once again are 10 women (actually 11, since we’ve got two guitarists from Wild Flag) who know how to wield their instrument in a wide variety of musical ways … from the enchanting to the downright slap-upside-the-head. And don’t forget to check out our previous Exposed articles, too! Check them out in "RELATED CONTENT" to the left. New York-based Rudick isn’t afraid to explore her instrument. Known for utilizing original tunings and chords, percussive rhythms and looped beats, Rudick’s style and ability are spellbinding. Rudick has scored a slew of films and stepped into the engineer role on Scott Matthew’s Gallantry’s Favorite Son . Her new release, slated for January, “is a departure from her acoustic debut, exploring new territory and mixing genres; combining orchestration for strings with electronica,” Rudick says. Do tell! We’ll keep you posted when that baby goes live. In the meantime, check out this video of Rudick performing "Darling" from her forthcoming second CD for an encore at the Knitting Factory, BAM Sounds Like Brooklyn Music Festival show. Hailing from Oakland, California, Mendoza has played in a wide variety of groups from heavy rock to contemporary classical. But her solo work leans toward the country/blues side of the spectrum. That may sound a little highbrow, but Mendoza isn't afraid to get down and dirty. As she says, “I tend to tread a wobbly line between melodicism, atonality and sonic abstraction. Both solo and in groups I like to develop specific tunes / riffs / compositional ideas and then throw musical monkey wrenches into them live, forcing them to self-destruct and collide with free improvisation.” I say, ooooh, anyone with a monkey wrench knows how to have a good time. Here’s a solo show from a couple of years ago at Café du Nord in San Francisco. You might call guitarist and vocalist St. Vincent avant-garde, quirky or even peculiar, but her talent is undeniable. This winter she released Strange Mercy , which was named on Rolling Stone’s list of the top 50 albums of 2011. Born Annie Erin Clark, St. Vincent has opened for acts such as Television, Arcade Fire, Andrew Bird, Jolie Holland, John Vanderslice, Xiu Xiu, Death Cab for Cutie, and Grizzly Bear. She worked with Bon Iver on the song "Roslyn," which appeared on the film soundtrack of The Twilight Saga: New Moon . Her unconventional musical style and sensibility have been characterized by critics as a mixture of chamber rock, pop, indie rock and cabaret jazz. I call it … interesting. Here’s a live performance of “Cruel” off of Strange Mercy. Check out the official video too if you get a chance. It IS cruel. This singer/songwriter jumped into the biz at the age of 10 when she released an album of children songs on EMI Norway with her friend Marit Larsen. That album was nominated for a Norwegian Grammy! Then at age 14 Marion and Marit, now under the name “M2M,” signed with Atlantic Records and released two albums that sold more than two million copies. In 2006 Marion recorded a duet with Meat Loaf of the song “It´s all coming back to me now” and then toured with both Meat Loaf and Pink around the world in 2007. This year finds Raven as a judge on Norwegian “Idol,” but don’t hold that against her. Raven can rock acoustic, electric, keys or whatever else is thrown her way. Check out this video of "Heads Gonna Roll." The title says it all. Super hot. Don’t be afraid to call Tedeschi "Derek Truck’s wife." As half of the Tedeschi-Trucks Band, this blues and soul musician puts her heart into every gritty note. Jumping into her first band at the age of 13, she’s been nominated for several Grammys and has opened for a long list of name acts, including The Rolling Stones, John Mellencamp, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, The Allman Brothers Band, Taj Mahal and Bob Dylan. Trucks, guitarist for the Allman Brothers, met Tedeschi on their 1999 tour, and the two have been collaborating ever since, guesting on each other’s solo recordings and now performing together with the formation of their current band in 2010 and the release of Revelator . Check out the crazy cool dual guitar work on this video of “Learn How to Love.” Even if you don’t care about raw, top-of-your-lungs energy and jangly punk-ass guitar playing, you’ll be drawn in by the crazy curly mass of red hair sported by Miss Alex White and her brother Francis Scott Key White, the two and only members of Chicago-based White Mystery. With Francis on drums and Alex manning the guitar and vocals, this duo knows how to throw one hell of a party. Raw, punchy, with a bit of sarcasm thrown in for good luck, and yet somehow catchy enough to make you wanna stay for the second set. White Mystery were named a Top Act and Best Video premiere by MTV, Top Ten Indie Album by The Chicago Tribune, and have shared stages with Weezer, the Gories and Mavis Staples. They played more that 120 shows around North America in 2011. Look out for a new release, video and SXSW tour to come this year! Molly Manarchy is in love with both classical and metal guitar. Intensely trained at top-notch academies and universities, Manarchy has performed at the White House and the Kennedy Center and was awarded a full scholarship to Berklee College of Music. Her long, flowing hair and undeniable dexterity add to the enchantment that pervades her performances. Here’s a video of Manarchy of Milonga by Piazzolla performed in Antelope Canyon. Mesmerizing! But wait! You say you want to see her metal side? Catch a little taste here: Tight, skilled and never a dull moment, Japanese trio Boris are known for combining metal, noise, psychedelic rock, ambient and pop to create their own unique take. Launched in 1996, the band has recorded 17 studio albums. Drummer-vocalist Atsuo, bassist-guitarist-vocalist Takeshi and guitarist-vocalist Wata rely on instinct and raw emotion to guide their creative path. Check out the slinky, cranky solo by Wata on “Statement.” So stoic and yet so badass! Brownstein, formerly of the celebrated trio Sleater-Kinney, and Timony (The Spells, Helium) have landed in a very fine place with their new project, Wild Flag.