What does St Vincent sound like?

A kaleidoscope of vintage, alternative, and electro rock… now orchestrated thanks to Jules Buckley.

The review of ‘Live in London!’ by St Vincent, Jules Buckley

Celebrating her BBC Proms performance, ‘Live in London!’ is a sumptuous feast for fans of St Vincent and also orchestral arrangements of rock music. Featuring 19 tracks from across St Vincent’s catalogue, Jules Buckley has worked absolute magic to transform each song into something entirely new. Yes, the origins are often there, but this isn’t simply a “stick some strings on it” affair. Many of the tracks have been completely redesigned around the orchestra, and it shows.

The setlist opens with instrumental ‘We Put A Pearl in the Ground’, offering a light wind-led introduction before it transitions into the simmering ‘Hell Is Near’. Here, the strings and harp hold a sparkling tension, whilst a muffled tom drum rumbles. As the brass blasts in for the close, we get to appreciate the scale and scope of the arrangement. ‘Reckless’ pulls a similar trick. After its bluesy lounge-bar piano and strings first half, the guitars are all replaced with cinematic string stabs and roaring brass. ‘Violent Times’ sounds like a full 70’s era James Bond end credits theme when fully orchestrated. It’s a cinematic opening quartet that really sets the mood and expectations high.

St Vincent’s guitar work takes centre stage for ‘The Strangers’ as we move into a rockier section of the concert. The bridge with cascading strings and harp, whilst the electric guitar and bass join in unison, is absolutely sublime. ‘Black Rainbow’ is a personal favourite. Its duality of suburbia 60’s tweeness and the B-movie horror of the final two minutes has never felt so epic, tense, and earned. Again, knowing when the orchestra leads versus when the guitar becomes the lead voice is key to these exceptional arrangements. ‘Marrow’ is similarly transformed as the brass and strings take turns backing up the raw and jagged electric guitar action. The choir feature prominently here, replacing the ethereal synths.

Not everything is bombastic in the same way. ‘The Bed’ uses pristine, tuned percussion to turn the track into something truly dreamy. ‘Smoking Section’ has an extended synth and wind introduction, turning it into an ambient new age fever dream before sounding slightly Joe Hisashi-esque. Jules Buckley is let loose as the song is twice in length, and it’s a beautiful rendition. It signals a second half of the concert, opening with a drumless version of ‘Now, Now’, now transformed into a clever and dainty ditty. ‘Live In The Dream’ then hits us with a soulful backing choir driven that could fit on any lead early 70’s singer-songwriter album. The arrangements showcase St Vincent’s diversity of eras of rock perfectly. ‘The Nowhere Inn’ is serving Elvis Presley orchestrated, for example. The floating, sweeping string arrangements twist into an orgasmic finale designed to make fans go wild.

The brass of ‘Digital Witness’ is bolder and more playful, before ‘Los Ageless’ is given the smoky jazz bar piano treatment. St Vincent’s talking-singing with a scratchy voice sounds utterly defeated in love, proving that less can be more sometimes. ‘The Party’ stays quite true to its original arrangement, allowing the slow-motion closure to bloom in full. ‘New York’ gets the crowd clapping along in an extended outro. ‘Paris Is Burning’ leans into its bombastic jolts in tempo and gusto. Again, the finale lets it rip with the full orchestra acting like a crazed workshop. That marks the last big hurrah, as the setlist closes with two quieter, delicate arrangements. ‘Candy Darling’ is almost entirely electric piano and St Vincent’s softer vocal, and feels very Patsy Cline. ‘Slow Disco’ brings back the strings for a sleek and pillowy exit.

I love it when an artist gets to reimagine their catalogue through a new lens. St Vincent and Jules Buckley do a fantastic job both in arrangement and performance. The mixing on this release is superb as well, with all the orchestral elements sitting incredibly well alongside rock guitars and some electronics. Cinematic and somewhat like a time traveller’s guide through 50 years of symphonic rock, this is a jewel to keep.

Recommended track: Black Rainbow

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