An eerie sense of psychological detachment colors the second solo release by indie singer-songwriter Annie Clark, who performs as St. Vincent.
It's present in the vacant gaze Clark maintains on the cover of this album. It's a theme in "Actor Out of Work," the first single off the CD: "You're an actor out of work/You're a liar and that's the truth / You're an extra, lost in the scene."
The sonic dissonance that runs throughout Actor underscores this psychological tension. Classical orchestration is turned into quirky psychedelic fuzz on "Marrow." Clark's singing style on "Save Me From What I Want" is restrained, seemingly unsure of its own emotional direction.
The result is music that's brave in its willingness to experiment, even if that makes much of this album a challenging listen.
