In a time galaxy far far away, all roads lead to Rome. Today, things are a bit different If you are observing phenomenon from the perspective of music industry. In order to achieve big success, all your roads need to take you to United States market. For talented Canadians, it was never a problem. Just take a look at Leonard Cohen and Drake. In that sense, it is not peculiar that Grimes recorded her best album yet when she moved from cold Vancouver to sunny California. If you are asking me, the first time I got in touch with Claire Boucher, I listed her off as a phony. Luckily, she proved me wrong. It turned out that she is super talented late bloomer.
Even though she is present on the scene since her first experimental darkwave albums, Grimes broke into the sphere of pop music with her album Visions three years ago. I must admit I was in love with tracks Vanessa and Oblivion, but in a broader sense, I labeled her as trying-too-hard-to-be-unique. It took a long time for this Canadian girl to prove herself and she did it with Art Angels. This is one experimental pop monster that it not tentative to be different in a million ways. It is an aspiration to bring pop sensibility of Grimes to life. That doesn’t mean she is still not a freak. It just means she grew up and learned how to make piece with her own contradictions and produce the most interesting pop release of 2015.
Eccentric orchestrated miniatures are face to face with full blooded EDM stellar tracks. It is ungrateful to compare Art Angels with Lady Gaga’s Artpop because this is an example of a successful artpop album. Inspiration behind the songs is so off the hook that I would probably need a whole day just to reflect on it. Unusual premises include identifying with Al Pacino’s character from Godfather 2 as a transgender vampire that goes through time on a great Kill V Maim. Grimes have created the album that can be listened by people who never heard anything from her discography. ArtAngels is an individual victory that crosses the boundaries of contemporary mainstream dance pop music.
Grimes has a masterpiece, a true groove machine, a pop monster that Lady Gaga would be proud of. In fact, I am sure Lady Gaga has it on repeat.
