Grimes/Claire Boucher thread

A few songs into this and I'm already liking it much, much more than Visions. There were a couple decent tracks on Visions, but it was a bit too incomplete and amateurish for me to truly enjoy it. I like how polished this sounds. It's more poppy but also more creative than Visions.

I adore this, it's honestly the happiest I've felt listening to an album since E•MO•TION.

The title track and "World Princess Part II" are the early highlights for me. I don't really think she improved "Realiti" from the demo but I'm not bothered by the new version, it sounds fine and more of a piece with the rest of the record

On first listen I'm standing by my true romance / sucker comparison tho I am liking this a lot more than sucker already.

the sucker comparison is v otm

Is true romance really comparable to visions? I never checked it out.

Not really, but the internal relation between each artist's respective albums feels similar.

Sucker was Charli XCX trying on a new persona, Art Angels is more like Grimes figuring out how to do the things she wanted to do all along

Well that's one reason it works a lot better, yeah!

But sonically and stylistically I think the comparison stands.

"Art Angels is more like Grimes figuring out how to do the things she wanted to do all along"

yeah, i don't think this is true at all.

Love how many of the takes here are based on how closely she met your expectations. Aw, did your manic pixie dream girl let you down?
I think the record is loose and fun and for what it's worth, I think she's set her sights on the high ecstasy of pure pop, everything and anything is grabbed in service of that feel. Which I love.

Hm, I think that was overgeneralisation, on reflection. As you were.

aaand written before I heard the final line of Butterfly. Oops.

Haha I just got there myself and I was about to say...

Finally got home to listen to this. I'm on Easily and am really happy with this. Not even to the remake of Realiti yet! I'm pretty nervous. This is great so far, but cryptic hints like

aaand written before I heard the final line of Butterfly. Oops.

― MatthewK, Friday, November 6, 2015 8:44 PM (20 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

ARRRRRRGH. What is THAT supposed to mean? Why am I on this thread right now?

At Venus Fly now. Realiti a relief, thank god. Could hear these songs at the Area:One festival maybe? I love it.

The 'obscure Japanese sample' on here is the guitar riff at the start of Butterfly

oh man this album is amazing. Butterfly, in particular. That whole song is perfect and the end is the biggest payoff.

After 5 or so listens and a headphone upgrade, I'm starting to get into Art Angels. Even though I'd have been perfectly happy with Visions Pt. II, I'm glad that she made the album she wanted to instead of what people expected.

Judas

Just now getting to this. nu-Realiti isn't better or worse, but I'm not comfortable with its differences yet. The title track is straight out of 1991...like Curve meets Happy Mondays.

I think this is nice enough on laptop speakers but will give it the headphone treatment on my walk tomorrow morning

having followed her statements on music since she scrapped the first visions follow-up, this is pretty much the album i expected.

lyrics and feels from "Pin" easily hit some of the musical young love/ crush moments of E•MO•TION for me...

It wasn't quite what I expected but it's still very enjoyable. On some level it's disappointing because there's nothing else in the same vein as Realiti, but that's ok. I do hope we hear more from the scrapped album she said she might release, since both tracks we've heard from around then are great (Realiti and David).

I feel like Visions is probably a more successful/cohesive whole but the uneven start is really the only issue I have with this.

I really need to stop reading this thread. I'm getting impatient to the point of anger.

Wait, why can't you listen to it now? It came out today.

As explained upthread, I ordered from 4ad with the thought that I would get digital access today, but that's not happening, apparently.

I can't really stream it because my computer is fussy about such things (still running Vista and so on) and I want to be able to listen away from a computer screen anyway.

I may just fold and buy it on Amazon mp3.

I anticipated listening to this so much I dreamt about this album all night, and it sounds just as good irl. Only one listen in, but this album is fucking wonderful. I love the new REALiTi, too - it's lost a little demo stardust but it's not like you can't listen to both.

I figure if you paid for a physical copy there's no big moral issue with dling alb from your favorite torrent site (but then again i see no big issue in the first place)

it's on spotify too

This album sounds better played over speakers in the common living area with the dog running around and roommates debating whether to get take out. Visions sounds better in my room while i look at the window, absently refresh ilx, or maybe read a few pages of anna karenina before taking my laundry downstairs.

That's oddly specific.

when your lens is Treeship, your focus is specific

or whenever your lens is actually a good lens

I agree with Treeship except on one minor detail that is that for me it sounds best if I leave the laundry in the room. As soon as I leave to take it down stairs for some reason it's charms fade.

"Pin", love the dancey power pop feel, the lyrics-- "tearin at your hair like banshee", "Dirt on your fingernails, blood on your knees
But did that ever make you happy?", etc etc

All of the little touches like how right after she says "just after 3" she makes this little exclamatory squeal that i find myself doing along with her and kind of doing this strange dance where i stick out my arms right at that moment...

are you looking for a harmony?

there is harmony in everything

Somehow feel this album augurs a Madchester revival (or has that happened already?)

There are a bunch of vocal moments on here that remind me a bit of pitched up happy hardcover insanity

*hardcore

Would welcome Madchester revival.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlOrP1wSzCk

LOVE kill vs maim - finally someone finds the sweetspot between Crystal Castles, Jane Wiedlin and the Smurfs.

Does Jagwar Ma count as Madchester revival?

Also, besides "Ray of Light"-era Madonna, the other thing the title track somehow reminds me of is PM Dawn, but I'm probably the only person who would think that.

besides "Ray of Light"-era Madonna

glad someone else said this; madonna in general is my pop reference point for this album much more so than anyone younger like gwen or katy perry or whoever. "belly of the beat" feels like it could have legs amongst ilx's dance-pop formalists (read: erotica fans). "easily" joins the small and exalted pantheon of things that sound a little bit like "don't tell me".

I'm fond of "Realiti," "World Princess Pt. II" (K-pop!), "Easily," "Flesh Without Blood," and the title track, but the tinniness of the vocals gets wearying (and as usual Janelle Monae's talent for muffling decent tunes + beats is intact).

Okay, I folded and just went to Spotify. Not really my premier choice to have my first listen be at the computer desk, but I just couldn't wait.

First impressions:
—She is trying really hard to top Visions (this is awesome, just in terms of the sheer balls that takes).
—Her voice is better on this album. Just all around. Not as buried in the mix, more interesting melodies. Ace.
—The 'Think (About It)' break is used in the new 'Realiti'!
—'Kill v. Maim' has so many layers and changes. It's only four minutes long, but feels at least twice, as it's like three or four mini songs in one.
—She's cocky as hell. I like this.
—Love this line: "I was only looking for a human to reciprocate."
—Second half has some serious deep cuts that I reckon won't really sink in for quite some time.
—Can't wait to take it for a walk with me.

Highlights:
—'Flesh without Blood'
—'Realiti'
—'Butterfly'

ray of light is the first pop comparison that's made sense to me lol