Grimes/Claire Boucher thread

I meant that as a vocalist she should pull these cool sounds and melodies together, but its abrasive high end doesn't.

since my initial bleh reaction (apart from a few songs) i've been listening to it a few times a day and more of it is clicking. i can't help but think that i'll always prefer Visions, though, if only because Visions sounds like an album that only she could have made. it's tough for me to get as excited about art angels because it feels like her contribution to a universe that's already populated with other people's songs that use a similar sonic vocabulary.

i enjoy the first half of it culminating with kill v maim, but then there's that madchester one and the william orbity one and my receptivity just shuts right off at that point

Was tired and stressed and feeling put-upon this morning, Art Angels in the earbuds just blew me out the WINDOW. Venus Fly! Kill V Maim! Just an incredible record I think. My attention wanders at times, but literally 2-3 lulls on an album packed with delirious highs.

there's really no reason to bring about the comparison but i think she definitely does a better 'polished' record than ariel pink

Ariel Pink does polished records?

before today and pom pom sound 10x more polished than this

yeah that's a p low bar

Kill V Maim nodding to Crystal Castles, amirite?

sorry NickB, insufficient search before posting

yeah, it's also good that crystal castles sound is being used on an anthem of female empowerment considering ethan kath's recent dickishness

Love how my 'reminds me of PC Music' post became 'influenced by PC Music' two seconds later. She's probably never heard of them

Still hate the title. Hate any album title with 'Art' in it tbh. Despite this, it is a solid, surprisingly ornate listen that deserves between 6 and 10 out of 10

― avant-garde, sissy bounce, zombie rave, aquacrunk, warlock, oceangrunge, (imago), Tuesday, November 10, 2015 11:28 AM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

given that she's mentioned them in interviews, I am pretty sure she has heard of them

oh ok then

makes the comparison more valid prob

unless all the mentions are disses

Of PC Music, the London collective whose uncanny valley take on the top 40 of their childhoods provides a contextual touchstone for Art Angels, she says, “It’s really fucked up to call yourself Sophie and pretend you’re a girl when you’re a male producer (and) there are so few female producers,” she begins, before trailing off again. “I think it’s really good music. I probably shouldn’t have said that…”

So diss + backpedalling.

Justified negative comment + backpedalling really.

yeah but 'it's really good music' + realisation that this isn't the trendy opinion any more ;)

I think it was more that she realised this would immediately be blown up out of all proportion and tried to offset that.

sigh

Either way this is clearly a case of shared source material rather than Grimes hearing PC Music and going "OMG must make something like that". Otherwise you're well into Doglatin-comparing-Miguel-to-Animal-Collective territory.

oh you're right, 'probably shouldn't have said that' refers to the SOPHIE thing not the liking the music

but that's weird though, it was a perfectly reasonable thing to say

oh and I'm not disputing the shared source material thing! for me it was simple redolence, no imputation of lineage

Yeah it's cool, I know your post wasn't making that claim.

changing the subject slightly, the standout imo is World Princess part II - awesome track (and, to reignite the subject, easily as good as anything PC Music have put out)

Doglatin-comparing-Miguel-to-Animal-Collective

did this really happen?

haha I was about to ask

yeah, like, my intention was less "let's draw attention to this quote!" and more "gee, I wonder if possibly 'well-known producer probably hasn't known of equally well-known producers' isn't an example of the condescension Grimes talks about"

HEARD of. either way, I mean

it was more 'PC Music are probably still quite obscure around the world' but sure

My mom right now RE 'Kill v. Maim':
"That sounds like that Indian music they play at the Indian restaurant. **does high pitched mimicking** I thought you liked that nice music, not stuff like this."

Btw "nice music" = multiple versions of 'Dark Star' I've been studying the past few days.

I think your mom might be racist.

Oh, there are no doubts about it if you ask me.

Having said that WPpII is the standout, I cant get the Kill v. Maim vocals out of my head. Amazing vocal design. Most songs where the vocal style is the hook feel in some way cheap or annoying but not this

Tried this out on the family on the way home from the zoo today. mrs. life liked it quite a lot but the kids were miserable, complaining of headaches.

this album is good. I don't like it as much as the last one. But it is still good.

Talking about Grimes is like dancing about architecture.

Trying to out-cliché the rest of the thread?

grimes is like madonna

ON ACID

and with a lisp.

xpost

*wink*wink*THUD*THUD*

YOU DID US ALL, COUSIN SLAPPY!

Title track reminds me of Is there a name for that genre of turn-of-the-90s pop-rock with the positive vibes, huge guitar leads, and gated drums?.

I have listened to this album a few more times and like it more (indeed there are many hooks !) but although I find it fun, skillful and effective, there's still nothing as charming and touching as her previous stuff for me.
That said, my favourite song by her is "Vanessa" and I haven't really loved anything from her since Visions so I guess she's just going in a different direction, which is perfectly fine.

basically I agree with this post :

since my initial bleh reaction (apart from a few songs) i've been listening to it a few times a day and more of it is clicking. i can't help but think that i'll always prefer Visions, though, if only because Visions sounds like an album that only she could have made. it's tough for me to get as excited about art angels because it feels like her contribution to a universe that's already populated with other people's songs that use a similar sonic vocabulary.

― Karl Malone, mardi 10 novembre 2015 23:37 (2 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

funny thing : my favourite thing from Artangel so far is the little instrumental bit at the beginning of "Butterfly" !

the one bit she didn't make herself

yes I know !
That said, I'm exaggerating. there are plenty of other cool moments on the album.

Title track reminds me of Is there a name for that genre of turn-of-the-90s pop-rock with the positive vibes, huge guitar leads, and gated drums?.

― jaymc, Thursday, November 12, 2015 11:07 AM (37 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yeah, these are exactly the kind of reference points I was looking for -- where *rock* guitar is used in that very pop-specific sort of way, often sounding very compressed and lighter in the mix than it would be in a rock record

love this album but i feel like opening the album with california and scream is a misstep.. always skip the first three songs when i listen

fwiw, flesh isn't about the media

without getting into specifics, it's about other musicians

― james brooks, Tuesday, November 10, 2015 8:25 AM (2 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

so it has to be about Blood Diamonds then? did they have a falling out? or maybe just other musicians giving her grief over "Go" and attributing that Blood Diamonds?