St. Vincent

Before she began writing and singing her own quirky, intricate pop songs, Annie Clark proved her musical prowess as part of Glenn Branca's 100 Guitar Orchestra, as a guitarist and background vocalist for the Polyphonic Spree on their third album, Fragile Army, and as a member of Sufjan Stevens' touring band. Sounding something like Regina Spektor, My Brightest Diamond, Joan as Police Woman, and Feist, St. Vincent (which Clark called herself as a solo artist) self-released a three-song EP for her tour in Europe, which included a cover of the Jackson Browne-penned "These Days," as well as originals, the Billie Holiday-esque "What Me Worry" and the orchestral "Paris Is Burning." That same year Clark signed to Beggars Banquet and issued her excellent full-length debut, Marry Me — on which she played not only guitar, but also organ, vibes, Moog, bass, and piano, just to name a few — in July 2007.