Concert Review: St. Vincent

By IAN HRABE

It’s baffling how good Annie Clark, also known as indie artist St. Vincent, is at putting songs together. And just as baffling was the sold out crowd at the Bottleneck on Monday night. Apparently sometime between her 2009 sophomore LP Actor and last night, Clark has become quite popular. No, her songs aren’t usurping Taylor Swift’s deathgrip on 105.9 the Lazer; and no, you haven’t heard any of her tunes on MTV’s “Jersey Shore.” But despite her lack of obvious exposure, everyone in the audience seemed to be emotionally involved in Clark’s complex compositions, soulful vocals and wry lyricisms. Of course, there was that one asshole directly behind me chattering during the quiet parts (see: Clark’s gorgeous rendition of Jackson Browne’s “These Days”), but that’s much better than four or five assholes chattering during the quiet parts, which seems to be the usual at Lawrence shows. Maybe it’s just that Clark has the kind of talent that makes everyone just shut the fuck up and listen.