Claire Elise Boucher, better known as Grimes is back with her new album, Art Angels. She has been one of the most versatile artists, and her music is has a shade of darkness it. She uses the slick production style and staid framework of ‘80s pop contemporary. The style is then connected to a wide range of dejected and unsettling lyrics giving it all shades of horror. Grimes’ music adopts all the attributes and aesthetics of a gothic dance party. The music makes the room around spin and leaves you dazed. The lyrics are very dark and you can hear the scream her heart possesses.
Grimes is known for being the ace multitasker she is. She handles every single aspect of her album including production, writing, recording and performance. In addition to that, she also designs her album covers, creates her own videos and choreographs her own stage shows. To nail all of this, there is her exacting perfection. In fact, she ended up scrapping an album worth of songs because it didn’t cut it for her. This dedication was followed by the much awaited Art Angels. The new album offers 14 radically distinct tracks. And every single track has been backed by a strong perspective. The songs have a wide range and are quite infectious.
There are songs like ‘Flesh Without Blood’ and ‘Realiti’ which are traditionally framed and are extremely catchy. To complement the same with contradictory textures, there is Scream, which has repetitive guitar melody and break beats. The song climaxes towards a tornado of hellish wailing. This duality of Art Angels is enthralling and leaves the listener in a state of shock and awe. The two impulses have been coalesced in a far subtler manner. The track ‘California’ exemplifies this perfectly. At sonic level, the track perfectly depicts signature sunshine and good vibrations.
Grimes also said that Art Angels has a lot of diss tracks. She delivers her anger effectively and it’s pleasantly disturbing for the listener. Grimes effectively changes the texture of her voice from a childish sigh to a growling grunt to a freaking taunting chant. The transition is every bit of smooth. The lyrics are dark, meaningful and at a lot many places, unsettling.
The album was rightly described by Grimes as half pop and half weird. A special mention needs to be given to the song ‘Kill V Maim’, the track brings out the full weight of Grimes’s abilities as both a producer and a singer. With an extreme bi-polar execution, the song veers wildly in umpteen textures. There are shrieks, high pitches, squeaks and an ultimate dance track tempo. The song accomplishes entirety in this 4-minute package. Entire album offers a great variety, making it difficult for the listener to describe it in a single word.
Art Angels also takes the horror quotient up and manages to be funny, horrifying and grotesque all at once. To top it all, the album makes you groove smoothly and dance like no one is watching. All the tracks are worth shaking that ass like a boss.
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