St. Vincent Covers Jackson Browne in Chicago

St. Vincent, aka Annie Clark, generates whimsical pop music, but apparently she's also a hip-hop fan. Thursday night at the Metro in Chicago, Clark took a break from her cinematic set to pontificate on one of her favorite songs, 'It Was a Good Day' by Ice Cube before segueing into a cover of Jackson Browne's 'These Days.'

The two disparate songs didn't seem mutually exclusive, but after she humorously described the litany of things Cube does in the song, she concluded the 'These Days' cover was a "folky, melancholy analogue to Ice Cube." Browne penned 'These Days' but it was Nico who recorded its most famous incarnation before Browne did a countrified rendition of his own song a few years later. With a lone guitar and two lights illuminating her lanky frame, Clark performed a twangy, stripped-down version of the classic that resembled Browne's version more than Nico's. "Did you see the connection?" she questioned the audience after she had finished.

The cover barely scratched the surface of her 75-minute set. "I've spent many nights here [in Chicago] doing some terrible things," she declared to the enthusiastic audience. "Here's hoping I do something more constructive." With the exception of two tracks from her 2007 debut 'Marry Me,' most of the songs drew from last year's critically-acclaimed record 'Actor.' During her live show, Clark stepped it up a notch adding strings, horns and major guitar riffs resulting in a plethora of reverb and distortion. Near the end of 'Just the Same but Brand New,' arpeggio strings and blaring orchestration ruptured the tranquil melodies. Clark maintained a measured vocal delivery throughout her performance but intercut the sweeping sounds with funky bass lines and sax solos on 'Save Me From What I Want' and 'Marrow,' which led to synchronized head bobbing from the audience.

After ending on 'The Party,' Clark came back for a two-song encore that included 'Paris Is Burning' off 'Marry Me' and an extended version of 'Your Lips Are Red.' The fuzzy song started out slow then built up steam to the point the venue was engulfed in booming percussion and guitar feedback courtesy of Clark.

Clark and her mini-orchestra will be back in Chicago for Pitchfork Fest in July.