Good ol’ Annie Clark. She knew I wasn’t feeling so great, having been hungry and way too thirsty for most of the day, so she played a bunch of new material and my old favorites during the front of her set! Oh, and also she looked adorable. That was another wonderful thing that I’m sure she did just for me.

MP3: St Vincent – The Strangers

St. Vincent’s highly-anticipated show at the 4AD showcase kicked off with a backing band so versatile that I feel pretty justified in calling them “nearly an orchestra.” No sooner would one guy put down his tambourine than he’d pick up a saxophone and start wailin’ away. They had pretty much everything required to give Annie the backup she deserves. After all, her songs are pretty complex. The opening track “The Strangers,” off her upcoming album Actor, required everyone to be on top of their game — especially Annie. She was up to it, as she always is, and brought home one of the better-received shows I’ve seen so far at SXSW. She’s come a long way from playing solo at loft parties three years ago and it seems like she’s only going to go further.