St. Vincent (aka Annie Clark) has shared her contribution to the soundtrack for Minions: The Rise Of Gru – a trippy and tantalising cover of Lipps Inc’s 1979 hit ‘Funkytown’.
Laden with synthesised strings and horns, with her vocals slathered in digital effects, Clark’s cover makes for a ceaselessly intriguing listen. It was produced by Jack Antonoff – with whom Clark worked closely on her recent sixth album, ‘Daddy’s Home’ – and joins the Minions soundtrack alongside songs by Diana Ross and Tame Impala, Phoebe Bridgers, Brockhampton, and Antonoff’s own band Bleachers.
‘Funkytown’ was first released by Lipps Inc in 1979 as part of their debut album ‘Mouth To Mouth’, and became the group’s biggest hit (as well as their only Number One single) a year later. Its popularity surged once more in the mid-2000s, when it was featured in the soundtrack for Shrek 2.
Have a listen to Clark’s cover of ‘Funkytown’ below:
Ross’ song with Tame Impala, ‘Turn Up The Sunshine’, was released last month. It was followed last week by Kali Uchis‘ cover of Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto’s ‘Desafinado’.
Later this month, Clark will embark on a tour of the UK and Europe. She’ll be flanked by The Down And Out Downtown Band, with dates based around a handful of festivals including Glastonbury.
Speaking to NME last year about what to expect from the shows, Clark said: “Honestly, the reason people go to see live shows is the same reason why people go to church. It’s to be taken some place else for an hour and a half.”
She added: “In not being on the road for a long time, I’ve definitely realised that there is absolutely no substitute for the communion, the mystery, the high stakes, the feeling that anything could happen and that connection. You can’t beat it.”
In a five-star review of ‘Daddy’s Home’, NME’s El Hunt said the album “feels warmer than anything St. Vincent has done before, trading in cold precision for looser rock’n’roll sounds that act as a kind of portal into her memories”.
In the months since Clark released ‘Daddy’s Home’, the genre-bending artist released her film The Nowhere Inn – wherein she portrays a “metafictional” version of herself – covered tracks by Metallica and The Velvet Underground, and launched a ‘70s-themed radio show.
