Coachella Day Two: St. Vincent

Texas' St. Vincent, fronted by wide-eyed waif Annie Clark, today turned in one of of the very best sets of the fest so far.

An associate of both the Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens (equal to a having PhD in indie rock), Clark took the stage in a babydoll dress and adorable sunglasses, but don't let her good looks and theatrical stage presence fool you -- she's got a sly sense of humor and is quite the fearsome guitar shredder.

St. Vincent's songs are quirky and complex while remaining generally poppy. At times, the band sounds like a noisier Andrew Bird (they even have a whistling violin player). "Now Now" was made overly complex on Saturday and suffered a bit for it. The rest of the tunes fared better, including the amusing "Jesus Saves, I Spend" and an absolutely killer cover of the Beatles' "Dig a Pony." The song was played with just her and a distorted guitar (one burst of feedback surprised even her).

Check out Variety's complete Coachella coverage here.

Posted by David Lewis