I had the good fortune of seeing her several months ago opening for Midlake. At the time, her debut album had not yet been released, and she was supporting her musical ideas solo-- just her small self, a guitar, a microphone, copperphone, keyboard, and an extremely complicated-looking pedal setup. When this wispy pixie in Aunt Ethel's dress and Clark Kent's glasses walked onstage, we all thought, "what the hell is this/oh great/where's Midlake". It took about two seconds of her finger-picking her hollow-body and crooning into the mic for our jaws to hit the floor. Alone on stage, she has a command that is unstoppable and completely spellbinding. So when I heard that she was going out on tour with a band to back her up in support of the album "Marry Me" (which, btw, got an 8 from Pitchfork--hey-oh!), I was a little worried that the magic would be lost. This was also after hearing the completed album, which, while still quite good, does not have quite the impact of her live performance. Well, I saw her last night, well-rehearsed band in tow, and Jesus H, man. She still slays. While I'll always list her solo show as one of the best axe-wielding performances I've ever seen in my life, I can say that last night's show was incredible. It was extremely cool to see her music come to full fruition; songs that didn't quite work solo are generously filled out. And the songs that seem to be almost-not-quite missing something on the record were highlights of the show. The seamless transition from a roiling "All My Stars Aligned" into a much slinkier (but somehow weightier) "Landmines" was particularly staggering to experience. "Paris Is Burning", perhaps one of her musical babies that doesn't quite seem to translate solo or on record, was completely rocking in a psycho-Tim Burton-Carnavale way.
All this, and Annie manages to be just as charming in conversation as behind the mic and guitar, but not so much as to seem inhuman. Once you get past the Sammy Davis shoes and bag-dress, she's a normal genius, completely unaffected, facing the same irritating challenges of searching for apartments on Craigslist that I have recently suffered and in great need of a vacation (which isn't happening any time soon). And she remembers you. A gem of a chick. Let's be friends, Annie.
So what I'm saying is, hop on Amazon, buy yourself a copy of "Marry Me", then go to myspace.com/stvincent, find your city and get your ass to the show. You won't be sorry, you'll thank me later, and you'll fall just as hard for her as I have. Oh yeah, and everyone at Pitchfork and Gorilla vs. Bear. (By the by, she mentioned there are even more dates coming after those with The National, so keep your eyes peeled if you aren't lucky enough to see her this stretch.)
A few blurry pics from the show:
