Annie Clark, a.k.a., St. Vincent, dropped her fifth eponymous studio album today (Feb. 25), and like any good artist, she's been hard at work promoting her new release, with an appearance on The Colbert Report and, more importantly, she took part in an AMA (Ask Me Anything) on Reddit Monday evening on the site's Music subreddit.
Though nobody asked her if she'd rather fight 100 duck-sized horses or 1 horse-sized duck, Clark did give some insight on her musical and touring process.
Thus, we present: five things we learned from the St. Vincent AMA last night.
1. She sees writing music as a full-time "day job."
Though many musicians take comfort in the fluidity of an artist's hours, Annie Clark takes her job seriously. "When it's time to write an album, I go to work every day. 10-7. Day job!" she responded when asked about her creative process by Reddit user u/mtsandwich.
2. Sequencing an album is a puzzle for her.
It's well known that in the age of digital singles, St. Vincent's albums play like one delightfully cohesive piece. But much like writing an album, putting an order to the songs is an art. "Top of FormIt's very hard to strike the right balance! Know when to push and when to relax," she said. "I knew 'Rattlesnake' had to be first and 'Severed Crossed Fingers' last [on St. Vincent], but everything else was a rubix cube.
3. She really likes PB&J.
She said it was her favorite sandwich not just once, but twice! Can't go wrong with a classic. But the ultimate answer... grape or strawberry jelly. (There is a right answer.)
4. #FirstWorldProblems... she's lost count of her guitars.
But she thinks she owns around 20. And which is her favorite to play these days? "Those old harmony bobkats."
5. She probably won't marry you.
She ignored a Reddit proposal... even though the guy's wife said he was OK with it.
