I have already seen all the music blogs talk about the latest one-woman band, Grimes, and prop her up to be the next big thing and they could all be speaking the truth. Claire Boucher, as she's known to her family, friends, and bloggers, is the only sole band member of Grimes. I do not know how this 23 year old musician came up with the name Grimes but it just sounds cool. One look at her album cover 'Visions' and it could easily be an old school skateboard graphic. I immediately want to own a shirt with the album cover design. Upon closer inspection, the record label putting out 'Visions' happens to be 4AD, which also put out classic albums by the Cocteau Twins, Lush, Pixies, and countless others and now puts out albums by newer bands Deerhunter, Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, The Big Pink, and Twin Shadow to name a few.
So far, the album cover and record label have won me over. So what does the music sound like? It's ethereal with modern beats mixed with synths and pixie-like vocals that flirt with r&b and J-Pop/K-Pop stylings. There are several tunes on this album that will have you bopping your head to what Grimes herself has labeled "Post-Internet". I do not know what that means but I dig her brand of "Loop Core". Here are the list of song titles from the album: "Infinite Love Without Fulfilment", "Genesis", "Oblivion", "Eight", "Circumambient", "Vowels = Space And Time", "Visiting Statue", "Be A Body", "Symphonia IX (My Wait Is U)", "Skin", "Know The Way", "Colour of Moonlight (Antiochus)", and "Nightmusic". The "Symphonia IX" track is my favorite on the album with it's Joy Division-esque minimalist drum beats and Grimes' melodic pixie vocals floating over the top of the mix like dark clouds holding back from a thunderous rain.
I still can't decide if this album is better to listen while awake or have playing when I fall asleep. I imagine I am in a half-sleep, half-awake state throughout most of the album. I don't even understand any of the layered, looped vocals but that doesn't really matter when all the sounds could provide the best soundtrack to female robots becoming sentient and discovering their gender through various circuitry and sleek components. No, this movie only exists in my head and these particular female robots discover the sensations of kissing and intimacy in an age where humans take these basic human emotions for granted. I usually don't rate albums, but this particular one should be filed under "Make Out Music".
Here is Grimes in action with a live video performance of "Nightmusic":
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