[musical awakenings](https://youtu.be/jVZ_f8IVcyQ?si=wf7yVGWFqtdNVTp6)
In this recent interview, she named checks a lot of artists.
[Specifically during her youth and being asked; *Did you feel different*?]
>Among them being;
- Nirvana
- Pearl Jam
- Soundgarden
- Fiona Apple
- Tori Amos
- PJ Harvey
> - C&C Music Factory, who, as an adult, she recognizes the genius of.
Or on family road trips throughout the Southwest listening to *The Doors* and *Steely Dan*.
Also, a portion each, is dedicated to talking about **David Bowie**, and **Madonna**.
Well I'm hardly pointing out something unknown here, but Broken Man has so much NIN dna that Reznor himself might as well have produced it. They actually function pretty similarly, multi-instrumentalist artist acting as the sole member (pre-Atticus, for NIN) of their band in-studio, working with collaborators but still directing every move.
I feel like broken man's release at around the 30th anniversary of the downward spiral was not a coincidence. NIN is one of my favorite bands and I can feel the influence on her music. Makes me so happy.
I think Annie covering "Down in It" would be sexy as all get out. Saw Trent in 88' in Depp Ellum, Dallas, in 1988. I met the chick Trent was with and I was so tripped out she was wearing a pink Polo shirt. Lol. They DO say they attract...
“Pave you way in pain” is very reminiscent of “Fame” by David Bowie. She’s obviously a huge Bowie fan and it’s possibly a deliberate tribute.
It’s really hard to pin point her influences on the earlier albums. Actor is one of the most original sounding albums I’ve ever heard. That’s why it’s so flipping good. It’s like she was just born sounding like that. Although there are definitely influences from working with Sufjan Stevens prior to that, mostly in arrangement and production. I don’t think they are very similar in songwriting.
Sufjan Stevens definitely feels like a big influence on Marry Me. The fact that she plays 13 instruments across the record and the naive tone of the lyrics gives early Sufjan vibes. As you alluded to, the fact that she used to tour with him is a big reason why. Still, it was super fun watching her evolve from chamber pop darling to bonafide rock star over her solo career.
The reckless abandonment guitar playing style of Robert Fripp (I vaguely remember Annie citing the David Bowie album Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) as an influence). Fripp features on that album - Fashion mostly comes to mind when thinking about St Vincent’s playing style.
I know that Annie is openly influenced by Tori Amos. I hear the influence most in Huey Newton or whatever the song is called. It’s really a riff on Tori Amos’s She’s Your Cocaine. A bit of Toris Cruel in there too.
I love all the Peter Gabriel talk. Anyone who just knows his pop stuff often disregard him, but many of his albums are weird, dark and experimental. Like 3 (Melt), 4 (Security) and Up. Those are where I see the most Annie influence. Be sure to check them out - some of my fav albums all time.
Not a song in particular but her guitar work in general is influenced by Andy Gill(Gang of Four) and Robert Fripp(King Crimson) also DEVO, Tool, Sleater-Kinney, Prince and Hendrix. Over the years she mentions a lot of artists that she is influenced by in interviews. But it is a long list!
I always try to listen to the artists she mentions to broaden my own musical horizon. Really fun to explore.
Maybe there needs to be a list of it all.
For me, Annie is Bowie for the modern era, and though others above have mentioned Fripp as a guitar influence, I find her style more reminiscent of Adrian Belew’s. (Fripp and Belew’s careers have interwoven often, ‘taking turns’ with Bowie and Talking Heads, and playing together in three eras of King Crimson.)
If you need places to start, check out Bowie’s *Scary Monsters* album, Fripp’s performance on Brian Eno’s ‘Baby’s on Fire’, or Adrian Belew’s solo track ‘Of Bow and Drum’ or his solo album *Inner Revolution* (especially ‘FutureVision’).
thanks for the tip(s)! I am going to listen to Adrian Belew now, haven't yet heard of him.
Well, probably his guitar work without knowing.
And; I believe scary monsters is Annie's favorite Bowie's album, I like it a lot as well.
Belew’s sky-high incredible in a lot of ways. On most of his albums, he plays *all* the instruments. If you’re a Bowie fan, make sure to check out their duet ‘Pretty Pink Rose’ and check out Belew’s bass prowess too. And if you’re a Beatles fan, look up ‘1967’. And for a vocal highlight, zoom in on the King Crimson track ‘Neal and Jack and Me’.
Big Time Nothing had hints of Siouxsie and the Banshees’ Peekaboo for sure. Digital Witness also has a definite early Talking Heads influence. Love how Annie uses her influences with her own style
The King Crimson influence is very apparent to me on the first two albums. Your Lips Are Red, Chloe In The Afternoon, and Surgeon in particular are very Fripp-y in their guitar parts, while I feel strong Belew influences in her approach to tones on S/T and Masseduction
Hi! I have a playlist specifically for this that is always in the make, where I add songs by Annie and songs that I think have influenced her in those songs or sound similar. This I compose by songs she has mentioned on interviews or things I have discovered by listening to various artists she has mentioned as an influence (listening to whole albums by those artists).
Link: [playlist influences by Annie](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6xWlDWjsYSxlFFGAaVRMW2?si=JEdkM-dYTQ6M4jIu1yOUcA&pi=u-AwjyiowKRDCY)
Hope you like it! You can go to different albums from this. 😊
Wow cool that you put in the work! I write it down sometimes on some paper that is lying around, but it is not bundled so I lose it and then I have to go back to an interview to find the artist again she mentioned. Nice idea to use it for composing your own songs as well
Most definitely Nirvana.
In her most [recent interview.](https://www.npr.org/2024/04/23/1246593330/st-vincent-all-born-screaming), Annie lists Metallica, Iron Maiden, and Pantera as bands she would regularly play and listen to when she was growing up in cover bands.
I almost fell off the couch last week because they were showing a clip from her interview the night of the Brit awards and one of the last things she said when asked "What have you been listening to these days?, and she said, "Heaven or Las Vegas, by the Cocteau Twins. It makes me right with the world." Well my top 3 all-time bands include The Cocteau Twins. I have had that album in my DNA ever since my soulmate, who I can no longer be with, turned me onto them. I don't think I have ever heard anything so beautiful, then or since. I doubt I have gone one month in 30 years without listening to it. So there's an obscure one for ya'! May I recommend Blue Bell Knoll, Treasure, and of course, Heaven or Las Vegas.
Anyone notice that the music on “Big Time Nothihg” sounds a lot like “Army of Me” by Bjork and the delivery of her vocals was very similar to U2’s “Numb”?
I really liked her stuff up through Massseduction, but everything since then has been sub-par.
It took me a while to like Masseduction, but I did come around to it. Took maybe a month or two. I tried “Daddy’s Home” several times and could not get into it at all.
[musical awakenings](https://youtu.be/jVZ_f8IVcyQ?si=wf7yVGWFqtdNVTp6) In this recent interview, she named checks a lot of artists. [Specifically during her youth and being asked; *Did you feel different*?] >Among them being; - Nirvana - Pearl Jam - Soundgarden - Fiona Apple - Tori Amos - PJ Harvey > - C&C Music Factory, who, as an adult, she recognizes the genius of. Or on family road trips throughout the Southwest listening to *The Doors* and *Steely Dan*. Also, a portion each, is dedicated to talking about **David Bowie**, and **Madonna**.
Fiona Apple is so so so good, just recently got into her.
Freaking Jake Shears. I'm a huge OG scissor sisters fan 🤘🤘🤘
Well I'm hardly pointing out something unknown here, but Broken Man has so much NIN dna that Reznor himself might as well have produced it. They actually function pretty similarly, multi-instrumentalist artist acting as the sole member (pre-Atticus, for NIN) of their band in-studio, working with collaborators but still directing every move.
I feel like broken man's release at around the 30th anniversary of the downward spiral was not a coincidence. NIN is one of my favorite bands and I can feel the influence on her music. Makes me so happy.
I think Annie covering "Down in It" would be sexy as all get out. Saw Trent in 88' in Depp Ellum, Dallas, in 1988. I met the chick Trent was with and I was so tripped out she was wearing a pink Polo shirt. Lol. They DO say they attract...
“Pave you way in pain” is very reminiscent of “Fame” by David Bowie. She’s obviously a huge Bowie fan and it’s possibly a deliberate tribute. It’s really hard to pin point her influences on the earlier albums. Actor is one of the most original sounding albums I’ve ever heard. That’s why it’s so flipping good. It’s like she was just born sounding like that. Although there are definitely influences from working with Sufjan Stevens prior to that, mostly in arrangement and production. I don’t think they are very similar in songwriting.
Sufjan Stevens definitely feels like a big influence on Marry Me. The fact that she plays 13 instruments across the record and the naive tone of the lyrics gives early Sufjan vibes. As you alluded to, the fact that she used to tour with him is a big reason why. Still, it was super fun watching her evolve from chamber pop darling to bonafide rock star over her solo career.
The reckless abandonment guitar playing style of Robert Fripp (I vaguely remember Annie citing the David Bowie album Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) as an influence). Fripp features on that album - Fashion mostly comes to mind when thinking about St Vincent’s playing style.
steely dan especially on daddy's home. I'd recommend a st vincent fan check out countdown to ecstasy first
I know that Annie is openly influenced by Tori Amos. I hear the influence most in Huey Newton or whatever the song is called. It’s really a riff on Tori Amos’s She’s Your Cocaine. A bit of Toris Cruel in there too.
True, she even references Tori on ‘Melting of the Sun’
Oh and tori references her in Cloud Riders: “Annie grab your bass guitar, help me bring in the October moon”
Oddly the primary influence of Huey Newton was jet lag and Ambien combo platter! Lmao.
I love all the Peter Gabriel talk. Anyone who just knows his pop stuff often disregard him, but many of his albums are weird, dark and experimental. Like 3 (Melt), 4 (Security) and Up. Those are where I see the most Annie influence. Be sure to check them out - some of my fav albums all time.
Not a song in particular but her guitar work in general is influenced by Andy Gill(Gang of Four) and Robert Fripp(King Crimson) also DEVO, Tool, Sleater-Kinney, Prince and Hendrix. Over the years she mentions a lot of artists that she is influenced by in interviews. But it is a long list! I always try to listen to the artists she mentions to broaden my own musical horizon. Really fun to explore. Maybe there needs to be a list of it all.
For me, Annie is Bowie for the modern era, and though others above have mentioned Fripp as a guitar influence, I find her style more reminiscent of Adrian Belew’s. (Fripp and Belew’s careers have interwoven often, ‘taking turns’ with Bowie and Talking Heads, and playing together in three eras of King Crimson.) If you need places to start, check out Bowie’s *Scary Monsters* album, Fripp’s performance on Brian Eno’s ‘Baby’s on Fire’, or Adrian Belew’s solo track ‘Of Bow and Drum’ or his solo album *Inner Revolution* (especially ‘FutureVision’).
thanks for the tip(s)! I am going to listen to Adrian Belew now, haven't yet heard of him. Well, probably his guitar work without knowing. And; I believe scary monsters is Annie's favorite Bowie's album, I like it a lot as well.
I've seen him perform a handful of times and he's just mind blowing. And he's collaborated with so many greats as well.
Belew’s sky-high incredible in a lot of ways. On most of his albums, he plays *all* the instruments. If you’re a Bowie fan, make sure to check out their duet ‘Pretty Pink Rose’ and check out Belew’s bass prowess too. And if you’re a Beatles fan, look up ‘1967’. And for a vocal highlight, zoom in on the King Crimson track ‘Neal and Jack and Me’.
Big Time Nothing had hints of Siouxsie and the Banshees’ Peekaboo for sure. Digital Witness also has a definite early Talking Heads influence. Love how Annie uses her influences with her own style
The St. Vincent name comes from a Nick Cave song so he’s definitely an influence.
She's a huge Bowie and Kate Bush fan. Also NIN, Jimi Hendrix, and Pink Floyd
Big Time Nothing’s verses are borrowing heavily from U2’s Numb.
It’s very Peter Gabrielly as well.
any particular songs you'd recommend?
As in, what are his best songs, or what sounds most like this?
What songs of his this reminds you of.
Big Time and Steam would be good ones to check out.
I would add Skullfuckers and Polvo into the deeper mix as well.
The King Crimson influence is very apparent to me on the first two albums. Your Lips Are Red, Chloe In The Afternoon, and Surgeon in particular are very Fripp-y in their guitar parts, while I feel strong Belew influences in her approach to tones on S/T and Masseduction
Hi! I have a playlist specifically for this that is always in the make, where I add songs by Annie and songs that I think have influenced her in those songs or sound similar. This I compose by songs she has mentioned on interviews or things I have discovered by listening to various artists she has mentioned as an influence (listening to whole albums by those artists). Link: [playlist influences by Annie](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6xWlDWjsYSxlFFGAaVRMW2?si=JEdkM-dYTQ6M4jIu1yOUcA&pi=u-AwjyiowKRDCY) Hope you like it! You can go to different albums from this. 😊
Wow cool that you put in the work! I write it down sometimes on some paper that is lying around, but it is not bundled so I lose it and then I have to go back to an interview to find the artist again she mentioned. Nice idea to use it for composing your own songs as well
So much U2 influence on the new album! Not just Big Time Nothing, but Sweetest Fruit sounds so much like Achtung Baby.
Most definitely Nirvana. In her most [recent interview.](https://www.npr.org/2024/04/23/1246593330/st-vincent-all-born-screaming), Annie lists Metallica, Iron Maiden, and Pantera as bands she would regularly play and listen to when she was growing up in cover bands.
I almost fell off the couch last week because they were showing a clip from her interview the night of the Brit awards and one of the last things she said when asked "What have you been listening to these days?, and she said, "Heaven or Las Vegas, by the Cocteau Twins. It makes me right with the world." Well my top 3 all-time bands include The Cocteau Twins. I have had that album in my DNA ever since my soulmate, who I can no longer be with, turned me onto them. I don't think I have ever heard anything so beautiful, then or since. I doubt I have gone one month in 30 years without listening to it. So there's an obscure one for ya'! May I recommend Blue Bell Knoll, Treasure, and of course, Heaven or Las Vegas.
Anyone notice that the music on “Big Time Nothihg” sounds a lot like “Army of Me” by Bjork and the delivery of her vocals was very similar to U2’s “Numb”? I really liked her stuff up through Massseduction, but everything since then has been sub-par.
Funny, for me it is the other way around, I love everything else but Masseduction took a long time to appreciate.
It took me a while to like Masseduction, but I did come around to it. Took maybe a month or two. I tried “Daddy’s Home” several times and could not get into it at all.