Anne Clark - The Very Best Of

Songwriter and pianist Anne Clark has been a cult figure since the early '80s and has amassed a rather sizable catalogue despite her small but rabid following. She writes nearly-Gothic love songs full of obsession and pathos, and pretty orchestral settings with clever instrumental figures and stinging piano runs and minor-key epiphanies. She's a consummate artist, playing to her strengths while trying to subtly, but surely, extend her reach, and always following her own muse, even when it takes her into dissonant territory. Most of her albums are out of print even on CD, and sell for collector's prices when they can be found. This is too bad, because Clark has assembled a solid, if quirky, and passionately honest body of work. This best-of German-only collection from the British poet, musician and artist, issued by Beehive is truly that. It features 19 personally selected tracks dating all the way back to her 1982 debut album and clocks in over 75 minutes. The album includes four rare bonus tracks such as the Live in Montreal version of "Heaven", and remixes of 'Self Destruct', 'Our Darkness' and 'Hope Road'. Simply put, without being able to collect her singles or albums, this is as good as you can do without getting ripped off in the bargain. Anne Clark's best-of presents a wonderfully deep portrait of a complex and misunderstood artist who deserves far more in terms of the recognition she has thus far received. This is truly a beautiful collection by a great poet and composer.

Anne Clark - The Sitting Room

Always more of a reciter (albeit a powerful one) rather than a singer, Anne Clark delivered her debut masterpiece with The Sitting Room EP, a work of fluid synthscapes that effervesced like the formations of a lava lamp (Oh My!). "The Sitting Room" set the tone, which in just over two minutes managed to bridge the kosmische wanderlust, symphonic romanticism and new-wave futurism. Further triumphs were encountered in the tormented musique-concrète of "Swimming", the dreamy ambientorama "An Ordinary Life", the transparent requiem "Shades", the fragile synth-folk ("Short Story"), and the electronic dirge "All We Have To Be Thankful For". The very short duration of these tracks only makes their quality more impressive. [Whoever wrote this must have been eating a dictionary for breakfast. The album is OKAY; it is neither awesome nor rubbish. Sometimes it is better that we sit here in silence and just absorb.]