Annie Clark's progression as an artist has been fascinating. She started out wearing butterfly wings and providing gentle background vocals for another one of my favorite musicians, Sufjan Stevens. She broke out as an individual artist with her first studio album in 2007, entitled "Marry Me." In 7 years, she has broken her own mold. Though there was always a hint of edginess in her work, her early LP's brought more melody and timidity to the table than fierceness. That couldn't be more opposite than her newest self-titled album... she has never sounded more confident. The evolution of her cover art says it all:
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| Innocent Annie Clark (2007) |
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| Fearless Annie Clark (2014) |
Her time spent on tour with David Byrne had a profound impact on her recent material. This is most obvious on the track "Digital Witness," which is Annie's commentary on the technology of today, posing the question "If I can't show it, if you can't see me... what's the point of doing anything?"
There's no arguing that her new work is both daring and just plain weird at times. She's definitely a polarizing artist... especially when you watch her live. Her concerts not only showcase her musicianship, but also serve as a medium to convey her newfound persona. She's perfected the use of her voice, her body and her facial expressions to transport you to what feels like a different time, and perhaps even a different world. Personally, I find it mesmerizing, and I'll keep watching her. Especially if she keeps ripping guitar solos like the one that starts at 4:06 in the video below:
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