Video: St. Vincent – “Savior” (piano version)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdmSRfbjQlY

Directed by Bobcat Goldthwait. From MassEducation, out now on Loma Vista.

This is nuts. When I first heard the new version of this song I doubted that it was just Annie Clark’s voice and a piano. You can clearly hear a plucked bass and strummed guitar chords. Or can you?

As this video makes clear all those sounds are created by pianist Thomas Bartlett using a technique called palm muting where he reaches his left hand inside the grand piano and presses on the strings while he plays notes with his right hand. It looks bonkers and sounds incredible.

This was filmed at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles on earlier this month by none other than Bobcat Goldthwait. Clark looks and sounds stunning. She’s got an almost Winona Ryder vibe going on with her hair and makeup.

“Savior” is a song that didn’t make a big impression on me on last year’s MASSEDUCTION, but this new piano version reveals that I clearly wasn’t listening. It’s freaky. And dope.

Adore you to the grave and farther
Honey I can’t be your martyr
Maybe it’s just human nature
But honey I can’t be your savior
But then you say, “Please”

Damn!

St. Vincent: web, twitter, amazon, apple, spotify, wiki.

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Video: Hiromi – “Choux a la Creme” (live)

I found this video of Jazz pianist Hiromi doing the palm muting technique but she’s just using it to simulate a walking bass line. Thomas Bartlett’s palm muting on MassEducation is far more innovative and interesting.

Here’s the official MassEducation studio recording…

Audio: St. Vincent – “Savior” (piano version)

From MassEducation, out now on Loma Vista.

And here’s the original MASSEDUCTION version…

Audio: St. Vincent – “Savior”

From MASSEDUCTION, out now on Loma Vista.

Video: St. Vincent – “New York” (Live on Jimmy Kimmel)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNws-fNy5yo

Via Jimmy Kimmel Live.