My Chase Is Endless

Keren Ann “My Name Is Trouble”

Keren Ann has always an artist that I respect but never held my interest enough for me to actively pay attention to her albums. She has had a tendency to write far too many songs with the same monochromatic palette and languid pace. Decent mood music, but not engaging pop music. I suppose she felt the same way — 101, her first album in four years, is by far the most dynamic record of her career. “My Name Is Trouble” is the most impressive cut, a keyboard-centric arrangement with a simple driving beat that frames a lovely vocal melody. Her voice and the melodic style remind me a lot of St. Vincent, right on down to the way Annie Clark often masks very dark lyrical themes in a placid, pretty tone. Though Keren Ann lacks the sonic contrast and emotive power of Clark’s guitar, her song goes a different way, complementing her voice with brittle, glassy synthesizer tones and fluid, expressive bass runs.

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