released second album Actor

Her second album, Actor , was released by 4AD Records on May 5, 2009. It was also well received and gained more commercial attention than its predecessor. Spin gave the album eight out of ten stars, noting its “[juxtaposition of] the cruel and the kind, and here, the baroque arrangements are even more complex and her voice even prettier, with both only underlining the dark currents running through her songs”. Entertainment Weekly said the album “plays up the contrasts, [with Clark] letting her church-choir voice linger on lyrics that hint darkly at themes of violence, sex, and general chaos”, and branded it “a uniquely potent cocktail of sounds and moods”. Actor charted well for an independent release, peaking at No. 9 on Billboard ‘ s Independent Albums chart, No. 5 on the Tastemaker Albums chart, and No. 90 on the Billboard 200 . Although it spawned no singles (except in the UK, where ” Actor Out of Work ” was issued as a 7″ vinyl single), music videos for “Marrow” and “Actor Out of Work” were released, and aired on several music channels. A promotional music video for “Laughing with a Mouth of Blood”, featuring Portlandia ‘ s Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein (then of ThunderAnt), was also filmed.