St. Vincent

Annie Clark has more in common with the movie Gremlins than one might initially suspect. On the surface, Clark plays music as indie dreamboat St. Vincent, crafting sweet toe-tapping melodies that capture the adoration of NPR listeners and Billboard 200 chart readers. She cutely tweets #aboutcrazythings and was in an episode of “Gossip Girl” earlier this year just for the hell of it. But underneath her innocent good girl surface lies a darker, more sinister sister. Take the single “Surgeon” from last year’s Strange Mercy, for instance. Listen closely past the seductive bass and one will notice the unnerving line “Best, finest surgeon / come cut me open.” Creepy. And yet, like those Gremlins, she’s so irresistibly endearing that it’s hard to say no. Just don’t feed her after midnight. (Appearing with Shearwater at The Vic on May 11) –text: John Taylor–photo: Tina Tyrell