ST. VINCENT - Actor

Annie Clark is the kind of omnivorous talent whose wandering eye can easily get in the way of commitment. She's firmly in the camp of an indie-rock Kate Bush, but like its title suggests, Actor is all about presenting as many layers of sonic textures and styles as possible. It all sounds immediately beautiful and lush, but if you end up wondering just who the real Ms. Clark is, I'd wager so does she. Still, what appears an act at first ends up quite personal, and as someone only halfway through her twenties and effortlessly capable of realizing whatever ideas arrive at her door, her willful flightiness ain't a bad thing. Actor doesn't quite jump out of the gate in the fashion of her spectacular debut Marry Me, and she could stand to harness a bit more of the raw guitar pyrotechnics that make her live show such an event, but what we do get is something just as worthy--a collection of petite poperettas whose bewitching dramas grow more commanding with each performance.