Grimes releases her long-awaited 14 track album with imaginative themes and layered vocals.
Grimes’ new album, Art Angels, proves to the world she hasn’t conformed to the traditional pop music norms despite her widespread success.
The 14 tracks that make up Art Angels are a mix of magical beats and dreamy sounds that were written, produced and performed completely by Grimes herself.
Claire “Grimes” Boucher is also a visual artist who created the artwork for not only the cover of the album, but individual artworks for the singles of the album.
After the release of “Go” in 2014, The New York Times cited that, due to negative fan reactions to the single, Grimes scrapped an album that “sucked” and was working on a new one. However, the artist posted on her Tumblr that it was incorrect and said she ditched the album because it was “depressing,” and the lack of success of the single was not a factor, because the song wasn’t even intended to be on the album in the first place.
The tracks on the album don’t necessarily blend together seamlessly in my eyes, but it fits together because it is, essentially, a Grimes album. The entire album is full of the artist’s signature layered vocal styles and unconventional beats.
The opening track, “laughing and not being normal” is a prime example of how Grimes tends to use her voice as an instrument rather than as a medium for lyrics. The short track is like a warm up in a way to prepare the listener for the album’s experimental sound.
Grimes continues to create her own interpretation of pop music in songs such as “California,” which has a surfer-pop vibe with video-game-like effects that are common in her music. It’s the kind of song I can picture myself listening to while driving on the highway in the summer.
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Another example of a revamped pop song is “Easily,” which sounds as if Grimes were guest starring on Glee. The song starts out with just vocals and piano, but then becomes more interesting when electronic elements and strings instruments are added.
The third song on the album entitled “SCREAM” features Taiwanese rapper Aristophanes as the main vocalist while Grimes does the terrifying screaming in the background. The song is really intense, but compelling. It’s similar to visiting a haunted house: It isn’t necessarily pleasurable, yet you still somehow enjoy the experience.
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The fourth song, “Flesh without Blood,” was released as one of the singles off the album, and it is a typical, dreamy Grimes song. Despite popular belief, the song is not about love or a breakup, according to Grimes’ Twitter. Although she didn’t specify what the song was actually about, it still makes me want to dance, and that’s good enough for me.
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A music video was released for the combination of “Flesh without Blood” and the 13th track, “Life in a Vivid Dream,” which makes a lot of sense considering the similarities of both tracks. The video displays Grimes dressed as a multitude of characters, including a fairy wearing a cowgirl hat and Marie Antoinette, which somehow makes sense when paired with the two songs even though the literal/visual context is unclear.
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A consistency on every track that Grimes releases is her wild imagination that is constantly evolving and transforming. In an interview with Q Magazine, Grimes said she wrote the sixth track on the album from the point of view of Al Pacino’s character in The Godfather Part II, “Except he’s a vampire who can switch gender and travel throught space.” However, I thought the song was more fit to be paired with a movie such as Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century, but I guess Grimes knows best.
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“Realiti” was the first single released off Art Angels, which Grimes admitted to Pitchfork that she didn’t really like the song.
“I know that if I don’t like and everyone else likes it, then it’s probably a single,” she said. I definitely got some “Genesis” vibes from this song, however when comparing the two, there is growth in her music from albums. Both songs have catchy choruses and distinct beats, but “Realiti” has more instrumentally interesting elements.
“Venus Fly,” which features Janelle Monáe, is my favorite song on the album because it makes me want to dance like Beyoncé. Grimes combined heavy beats with string instruments to make an interesting club song. I am so obsessed.
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The album ends with “Butterfly,” which is a surreal power ballad with playful vocals. I really love that her voice sounds more authentic than some of her songs with heavier vocal effects. Grimes sounds like a Disney princess singing to a club beat.
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I have to admit, when I first listened to the album on the surface, I was a little unimpressed and confused. I liked it, but nothing really stood out to me. As I continued to listen, I realized it is how I’ve digested every Grimes album. Each track makes me initially confused and then leaves me obsessed. Art Angels is no different.
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Art Angels is available on Spotify or purchased on iTunes.
Rating:
4/5
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