Marry Me

With the likes of Cat Power, Feist, and Joan as Policewoman on the rise, the mid-to-late 2000s proved something of a renaissance for indie-minded female singer-songwriters. Annie Clark, who performs under the name St. Vincent, is another formidable force among the ranks. Clark's resume includes stints with Sufjan Stevens and the Polyphonic Spree, and while her 2007 debut MARRY ME is influenced by the orchestral majesty of those performers, it is sparer and maintains its own utterly unique flavor.
Clark is a powerful writer: her songs are honest and confessional, yet smart and reflexive enough to avoid the pitfalls of cliche and sentimentality. There is an artful polish to the arrangements and instrumentation throughout, but there is also a pulsing edge to the album that grows organically from its rawer emotions. Moving, surprising, and beautifully composed, MARRY ME is a sparkling indie pop debut.