St Vincent on David Letterman

Just to add fuel to the St Vincent obsession that's been going on around here for the last few weeks, she appeared on the David Letterman Show last night to perform Cruel (that's the video we talked about here the other day). I know it's not unusual for Letterman to be slightly nonplussed by the musical guests on the show, but in this case he seemed to be genuinely at a loss, confused. Maybe it was the fact that Annie Clark looked like a model, wearing a black party dress, with what looked like a cape trailing behind, while she knocked out complex math-pop guitar riffs that buzzed with a distortion and tension generally absent from your average party dress-wearing model. Or that in elegant, soft-spoken tones, she wondered how the children could be so cruel. Apart from her other, many and varied talents, I think her ability to confound Mr Letterman should also be applauded.