“Best finest surgeon, come cut me open.”
At about 2 minutes 40 seconds you are entirely likely to lose your shit as ‘Surgeon’, the opening track from St. Vincent’s Strange Mercy descends into some kind of live band dubsteppy funk hybrid. Then there’s the absolutely uncharacteristic OTT synth solo. The first 180 seconds weren’t bad either, finding Annie Clark operating in an atmospheric dream like state punctuated by bass signifying notes and odd riffs. I swear it channels Steely Dan at one point.
Strange Mercy is released on September 9th (12th UK / 12th US).
Hey, before you go...
Nialler9 has been covering new music, new artists and gigs for the last 19 years. If you like the article you just read, and want us to publish more just like it, please consider supporting us on Patreon.
What you get as thanks in return...
- A weekly Spotify playlist only for patrons.
- Access to our private Nialler9 Discord community.
- Ad-free and bonus podcast episodes.
- Guestlist & discounts to Nialler9 & Lumo Club events.
- Themed playlists only for subscribers.
Your support enables us to continue to publish articles like this one, make podcasts and provide recommendations and news to our readers, and be a key part of the music community in Ireland and abroad.
Related
Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005 . He is the cohost of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Cara Magazine, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, founder of Lumo Club, event curator and producer of gigs, parties & events.