It was far removed from the hazy, indiscernible electronica that marked Grimes' earliest work, but by no means was 2012's "Visions" her 'pop' record. "Genesis" had a catchy hook, and "Oblivion" mixed Clare Boucher's girlish vocal with fun, squiggly synths, but those one or two cuts didn't detract from an ambitious, varied set of electronic music. It certainly didn't set the charts on fire--it reached a peak of 98 in the US, and didn't go much higher in other countries--and even its poppiest songs didn't make a dent on top 40 radio. Many critics hailed the album as one of 2012's best, but not in comparison to other mainstream records like "Kiss" or "Believe". In the end, though, no matter what the statistics show, "Visions" received enough attention above ground to make die-hard Grimes fans fear that she would eventually answer the siren call of big-budget pop. It didn't help matters when Ms. Boucher signed to Jay-Z's Roc Nation management company, and then collaborated with Skrillex understudy Blood Diamonds to produce a track for Rihanna (the song in question is "Go", which Grimes later released herself in 2014 to a nasty reaction from her core audience). Paired with an increasingly fervent interest in her views on feminism and the music industry, Grimes soon became a creature of pop culture. Not intentionally, mind you, but this unfortunately set-up her second major-label album to be a product of business rather than an artistic statement of purpose.
If Grimes was just another pop tart, that would have been the case. She's not, though, and she spent the first ten months of 2015 proving it: EDM-influenced "REALiTi" came in March, while the rock-driven "Flesh Without Blood" arrived in October. Both songs are equally phenomenal--blending an intoxicating mix of hooks, beats, and style--and are undoubtedly the backbone to "Art Angels". In a nutshell, it follows the path set by its first singles: upbeat pop, harder rock, dance, R&B, and classical music sprinkled in to give the songs texture and shape, but it also showcases a woman easing into a pop career with a level of expertise that even few veterans of the industry have. Not only has her singing improved (you can now hear diction and separation of phrases), but her skills as a producer have increased by leaps and bounds. Normally, it would take many songsmiths to come near the effortless catchiness of the title track "Art Angels" or balance commercialism with commentary as well as "California" does, but this record is a one-woman show with Clare Boucher as its main star and creative director. "Art Angels" is a record bubbling over with ideas, all focused on mining new paths between genres and moods--"Kill v Maim" suggests gore but its nu-metal settings are outlined by cheerleader chants, "Life in the Vivid Dream" rides an airy atmosphere despite its macabre lyrics describing environmental activism. Of course, such an eager approach to substantive pop can lead to a stumble ("Venus Fly" has potential but Janelle Monae's weak presence in the song becomes its undoing), but it might be telling that the weakest track here ("Laughing and Not Being Normal") is the one that is closest to Grimes' past oeuvre, because it's a darkly bizarre opening for a distinctively sunny album. It's so un-listenable, in fact, that it almost turns you away before the true heart of the record unfolds. Once it does, though, Grimes' talents are undeniably strong, and her songs more often benefit from her experiences in the mainstream than suffer from it. That doesn't necessarily mean that "Art Angels" is a better album than "Visions" (both share their fair amount of filler, "Visions" is more consistent while "Art Angels" is more varied in quality), but it reaches peaks that extend well beyond her past records, or any other pop record of 2015. That's no small accomplishment, and it's simply stunning coming from the artistic prowess of a singular, original talent like Grimes.
Recommended Tracks in Bold:
1. Laughing And Not Being Normal 2. California 3. Scream
4. Flesh Without Blood 5. Belly Of The Beat 6. Kill V Maim
7. Art Angels 8. Easily 9. Pin
10. REALiTi 11.
World Princess II 12. Venus Fly
13. Life In
The Vivid Dream 14. Butterfly
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