Mike Bennett writesFriday iPod/MP3 Shuffle—Happy Birthday Annie Clark Edition

Today we pay tribute to a rising contemporary talent who has earned the increased attention she has been getting — Ms. Annie Clark a/k/a St. Vincent. Clark got her start in Polyphonic Spree and then went on to join Sufjan Stevens’ touring band before striking out on her own. Instantly, she garnered comparisons to Kate Bush, and while that’s certainly valid in some respects, with each album she has further honed and developed a distinctive style around her cool vocals, her melodic abilities, the textures of her tunes and her great guitar playing. Her third and most recent album cracked the Billboard Top 20. Meanwhile, she also found time to collaborate with David Byrne on an album. Let’s pay tribute to Ms. Clark by grabbing your iPod or MP3 player, hitting shuffle and sharing the first 10 songs that come up.

1. The Fall — Free Range (Code: Selfish): Sometimes it’s hard to define exactly what make a good Fall song a good Fall song, as opposed to great or ordinary (and, sometimes, bland or uninteresting). Some songs just have what it takes, and this track is the best one off of the middling Code: Selfish album. It has a percolating groove for Mark E. Smith to rant over, and the hook is based on the simplest of chord progressions, which just oscillates back and forth. I guess it’s just catchy in spite of itself.
2. Midnight Oil — Bullroarer (Diesel And Dust): Midnight Oil’s international commercial breakthrough came when the band scaled back on the tricky tempos and time changes and developed a somewhat more organic sound. In so doing, at least on this album, the Oils maintained their power and melodic strength. This composition is a companion to the Australian hit single “The Dead Heart” (also on the album), which builds on a rumbling groove. This one has a bit more of an anthemic chorus. Fine track.
3. Nouvelle Vague — Guns Of Brixton (Nouvelle Vague): Yes, Nouvelle Vague is a gimmick band, doing (usually) slowed down renditions of punk and new wave songs. And, to an extent, that is more evident with each album, though they are still worth seeing live. But the first album transcends any novelty, as the selection of songs and the quality of performances is so high. This wonderful, jazzy version of the The Clash tune with a great vocal is one of the better songs on the band’s debut.
4. Madness — Idiot Child (The Liberty Of Norton Folgate): This 2009 LP was a revelation, as Madness, whose last album of originals had come out nearly 10 years before, showed that they could make music as the high level they were at around 1983. Indeed, this loose concept album about the diversity of London is arguably the band’s strongest album, full of catchy tunes with sharp observational lyrics. On this bouncy tune, the rough edges that have developed with Suggs’ voice add a bit of edge to this put down of the title character.
5. The Turtles — It Was A Very Good Year (Solid Zinc: The Turtles Anthology): Yep, this is Flo and Eddie and the crew doing a pretty straight up version of this lounge singer standard. It’s a good vocal showcase, but not the hippest thing they ever did. Oh wait, they were never hip.
6. Comsat Angels — Ju Ju Money (Fiction): One of the best cuts from this particular album from the vastly underrated post-punk band. This song establishes a dramatic, tension filled air, with a disturbing rhythm and majestic guitars and Steve Fellows’ quavering vocals. Anyone who is a fan of the early Cure should check these guys out.
7. Public Enemy — She Watch Channel Zero (It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back): Perhaps the most rock oriented Public Enemy track from their masterpiece. The riff is just relentless, and Chuck D.‘s rhythmic cadence in the chorus is a hook unto itself. This is perhaps the least politically progressive song on the album, with Chuck calling out a woman for watching too much TV, but it does give Flavor Flav a chance to give a shout out to Doug Williams, the first black quarterback to win a Super Bowl.
8. Divinyls — Science Friction (Desperate): One of the poppier numbers from this Australian band’s debut album. It kind of sounds like a rougher Missing Persons, which is helped out by the scratchy vocals of Christina Amphlett. The Divinyls released three albums before they broke through on the fourth with “I Touch Myself”. Those three albums have some great hard rock and fine pop tunes, and Amphlett is a great presence. It’s a shame they are considered just a one hit wonder. By the way, in 2001, this song was named one of the Top 30 best Australian rock songs ever.
9. Steve Wynn — Slovenian Rhapsody I (Crossing Dragon Bridge): This is a sweet acoustic guitar interlude (with whistling!) from Wynn’s wonderful solo album where he worked with strings. This sets up the prevailing mood on the album.
10. The Jimi Hendrix Experience — The Wind Cries Mary (Are You Experienced?): The debut JHE album almost plays like a greatest hits album. While Hendrix is, of course, the ultimate guitar legend, he was also a great songwriter and singer. This dreamy blues song is certainly one of his best, as Jimi is at his most expressive, both with his singing and his guitar playing.