Annie Clark

you’re a boxer in the ring with brass knuckles underneath

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St. Vincent – Actor Out of Work (Annie Clark will break your spirit and look good doing it)
M. Ward – Rave On (lovely video, sweet song)
Longwave – The Devil and the Liar (let’s get macro)
Department of Eagles – No One Does It Like You (art of war | war of art)

bonus throwback:
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Date With the Night (really just a segue to shamelessly promote my photography)

sing your favorite song at the top of your lungs

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Daniel Hart, violin-toting member of St. Vincent, the Polyphonic Spree, and John Vanderslice’s band, has a new project – The Physics of Meaning. Combining his loves of classical music and the theater, Hart creates something of an indie-rock musical on Snake Charmer and Destiny at the Stroke of Midnight.

The Physics of Meaning touch on several different styles throughout the album, but the core of strings based around Hart’s violin provide a common string to tie it all together. Hart’s story-like lyrics weave a tale of a snake charmer and his doomed love, Victoria. Lead male and backing female vocals help bring the story to life instead of merely putting it in a third-person perspective.

Hart’s mastery of his craft shines through on the opening and closing tracks, the companion instrumental pieces “In Dreams, We Discover Ourselves, Broken and Yearning” and “In Dreams, We Return to Ourselves, Empty and Honest”. The former is a dramatic violin solo, and the latter a revisit of the theme with additional strings that builds into a beautifully striking sound.

Closer to the rock vein are “Around the Bend” and “Why Can’t We Fall In Love Forever? (Anything Is Possible)”. “Around the Bend” features beautiful female vocals playing off of Hart’s, accompanied by harp and with a melody and feeling that would not be out of place in a musical. The start of “Why Can’t We Fall…” has a soul sentiment, but the tune is all indie. The strings, propulsive drums, handclaps, and choir constitute perfection.

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Snake Charmer and Destiny at the Stroke of Midnight dropped 09/16/08.
Visit their MySpace page and download “Aeroplanes and Hurricanes” here.