Marry Me
- St. Vincent
- Band Name: St. Vincent
- Record Label: Beggars Banquet
- Release Date: Jul 10, 2007
- Critic Score
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100Marry Me, seduces with one hand and stabs with the other.
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85There are no apologies necessary for this wonderful debut album.
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All the hoopla may be a bit much (the evil carnival of 'Paris Is Burning' alone appears to contain 47 different musical effects), but this saint is worthy of her own cult following.
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An utterly charming release from a songwriter who has definitively stepped away from the pack. [Summer 2007, p.84]
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80As with most any debut, Marry Me is imperfect and not without clear misfires, but with Clark’s unwavering confidence, the whole record seems clearly aware of this, and these failures still serve a purpose.
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80At every turn Marry Me takes the more challenging route of twisting already twisted structures and unusual instrumentation to make them sound perfectly natural and, most importantly, easy to listen to as she overdubs her thrillingly sui generis vision into vibrant life.
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It's an orchestral record for those who prefer the simplistic, a darker one for those who prefer theirs twee, love songs for the scorned and sad songs for the content, an engaging and alluring combination that makes Marry Me nearly irresistible, and one of the better indie pop albums that's come around for a long time.
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Marry Me isn't quite a religious experience, but it's unequivocally divine.
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There's a real richness here, and raw venom beneath any fey first impressions, as gentle finger-picking bursts into free-jazz fuzztone guitar blasts and bloodied lyrics.
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80Elegantly crafted and darkly mischievous.
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Titling your major label bow Marry Me builds certain expectations. Thankfully, everywhere on her full-length debut, Annie Clark makes the title's request impossible.
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What Marry Me may lack in innovation, it makes up for in attitude and execution.
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This disc is both violent and romantic, offering warm singer-songwriter torch songs and jagged avant-noise frays with large-hearted choral flourishes.
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It's an excellent debut, and hints at a potentially significant force in indie rock in the coming years.
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In the studio, it’s a totally different beast--a little soggy with orchestral coloring and the 24-track fuckery often seems rote. Taking St. Vincent at face value, Marry Me can be an enervating listen because Clark is playing against her strengths.
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70For those who have not heard St. Vincent, the best approach is listening to her album because it’s so damn good.
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60Her debut British release showcases a vivid and fully formed talent clearly versed in quirky, often humourous songcraft. [Nov 2007, p.125]
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60Brilliantly bonkers. [Oct 2007, p.105]
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60Though her versatility is promising, Clark will be able to compete only when she figures out how to be one very interesting person, instead of five caricatures at once.
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Clark never seems able to strip away all the orchestration to show true emotion on Marry Me.