Montreal-based Claire Boucher is Grimes, an enigma in the indie pop world since her obscure beginnings on MySpace in 2010.
But in 2012, Boucher suddenly became the darling of the fashionable indie music blogosphere with her third album Visions, and Pitchfork has since named her track “Oblivion” as the best song of the decade thus far.
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Art Angels, Grimes’ fourth album, arrives after a long, eager wait. It follows surprise releases which were later not included on the album, after Grimes herself admitted to scrapping an entire album’s worth of music in order to make music truer to her vision. But the result was completely and undoubtedly worth the wait.
Much of Grimes’ first two albums and the majority of Visions were full of other-worldly sounds and indecipherable lyrics, which she specifically mentioned were meant to not be understood by the audience. But on Art Angels, the lyrics are clearer in comparison and the messages come through more easily.
Still, the biggest changes present on this record are the high-energy, joyous beats which reflect Grimes’ admitted love for pop music. While her previous sound is suited best for listening in a dark room or trippy rave party, this album is more appropriate for riding through the desert in a convertible.
Track one, “Laughing and Not Being Normal,” serves as an overture for the upcoming musical journey of Art Angels. Mixing both haunting strings with a bright orchestral arrangement, it foreshadows the interesting and vibrant course of the rest of the album.
“California” comes next and features a soaring chorus and a hand-clapping sample courtesy of Rihanna’s debut single, “Pon de Replay.” The track is one of the most fun tracks of the entire year, but the lyrics are quite angry, critiquing the fickle music critics who once fell in love with her.
She sings, “You only like me when you think I’m looking sad,” calling out those who would prefer for her to stick more to the sound of Visions, while she does the exact opposite.
The next track, “Scream,” is one of the strangest tracks that Grimes has ever recorded, and that’s saying something. She hands the mic over to Taiwanese rapper Aristophanes and switches to producer mode, laying dark guitar riffs and blood-curdling screams over her guest rapper’s rhymes. It’s actually an interesting and fun listen, but it disrupts the blissed-out vibe from the previous track, making it a minor mood misstep on an otherwise excellent album.
That’s not to say Art Angels isn’t packed with other batshit-crazy moments like, for example, the glitch-pop inspired “Kill V. Maim” which sounds like Katy Perry if she became the lead singer of Crystal Castles.
The title track also lifts the mood and sounds like a summer jam from some alien planet. Other highlights include the friendship- anthem “Pin” and the spacey Janelle Monáe collaboration “Venus Fly.”
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Art Angels is a fantastic album that stands out from the current pop landscape in a noticeable way. The album is definitely strange, but its pop sensibilities make for a pleasant and satisfying listen. It proves that an album can be experimental and fun, too. Grimes, though neurotic in her process, is an undeniably talented artist. Ultimately, this is one of the best albums released in 2015.
Rating: 5/5
Michael’s Picks: “California,” “Kill V. Maim,” “Artangels,” “Pin,” “Venus Fly,” “Butterfly”
