Grimes - Art Angels

sounds like she's gone full top40

LOL!

I have a couple of older tracks from her that I DLed from like xlr8r I think when I went on a DL binge with that blog. This was around 2010-2012. That stuff sounded cool... I'm not hip with this new video... Her voice is nice though.

This is what I remember from here...

she posted the tracklist on twitter

  On 10/26/2015 at 10:15 PM, ThatSpanishGuy said:

sounds like she's gone full top40

Yeah but it's still good. Not great. Keep in mind 4AD and Rocafella are steering the single choice and promo. I wasn't expecting a weird ass debut single from this album

my expectations have been pretty reasonable though - if anything this reminds me of a single an "edgy" / "alternative" female artist would be in the late 90s / early 00s - garbage, early bjork, gwen stefani, etc. this song is very tame but there are glimpses of some sounds / riffs I can't quite put my finger on.

sounds like the music that plays when i take taxi and the driver puts on the pop stations and i am not sure if he's putting it on because he thinks i want to listen to it or because he wants to listen to it or if i can ask to turn it off.

noice to see realiti is on there. still keen to hear album :)

albums gonna be top40 as anything.

  On 10/26/2015 at 10:11 PM, wagwag said:

niu video

 

 

I like the new song - I wouldn't say that's top 40 schlock at all.

re: genesis vid

the metal spacekazoid outfit is.. wack

long blonde pigtails are, ok i guess

watever

re flesh without blood-

jesus remember when people used to bitch about mtv not showing music videos anymore? maybe its a good thing. i mean, music videos are kinda retarded. especially this one.

  On 10/27/2015 at 3:44 PM, Joyrex said:

 

  On 10/26/2015 at 10:11 PM, wagwag said:

 

I like the new song - I wouldn't say that's top 40 schlock at all.

 

it's not shlock but it's in the same style as shlock.

Not trying to be a dick, but nothing I've heard since 'Go' sounds like it's got any better. I loved the first three albums and think she's stupidly talented, just feel she can do so much better. And as an old man on these boards now, her and Deerhunter are the only things that make me care that 4AD still exist.

  On 10/28/2015 at 12:02 AM, Caretstik said:

Not trying to be a dick, but nothing I've heard since 'Go' sounds like it's got any better. I loved the first three albums and think she's stupidly talented, just feel she can do so much better. And as an old man on these boards now, her and Deerhunter are the only things that make me care that 4AD still exist.

yeah 4AD is kinda like a lame indie clearinghouse

reali is better than go but both are a lot better than that entropy track...albeit that was a collab track for the show "girls" so it was basically a throwaway song

im still optimistic but my expectations are reasonable

http://imgur.com/gallery/S9esf/

That new song is a pretty big improvement over top 40 schlock you guys are just being watmm. I held off checking it out because of your reaction though.

People at work listen to Taylor Swift (a pop star with zero sense of melody?) so I am an expert on this subject mmmkay

Flesh Without Blood was good, though quite a contrast from my previous two hours spent with Beatwife.

I like that it, the video and music, are still very decidedly her without being the same thing as previously. I look forward to hearing the whole album when it comes out.

  On 10/28/2015 at 2:05 PM, bitroast said:

http://imgur.com/gallery/S9esf/

oh hell yes thanks for posting this

real strong late 90s / early 00s big beat vibe on this for me - clean-ish rock guitars coupled with beats

reminds me of death in vegas

I remember Death In Vegas. My wife liked them.

Have a lot to say about this, probably will just copy/poste and or link to all my thoughts on it.

This sums it up in the meantime (FYI I wrote the bolded part, the response is plausible imo but I can't prove it and don't 100% agree with it...just think it makes sense and it's why I worried this album might be exactly as MOR as it is)

I like this but I get why it's divisive and, in the case of my perspective, a bit disappointing. It's like something was lost in Grimes perfecting and progressing her skills at songwriting, production, and artistry. It's less interesting, raw, mysterious, weird, and unusual. And because of that it's not only less appealing to me, it's also lost this emotional and unique heart that was evident in the last 3 albums she did. It reminds of these recent RDJ quotes:

  Quote

"The holy grail for a music fan, I think, is to hear music from another planet, which has not been influenced by us whatsoever. Or, even better, from lots of different planets."

"Maybe those sort of non-musician types do some dubstep stuff, or grime. But it didn't exist in jungle for long. There was only a couple of years where people didn't know what they were doing, and you got all these samples that are just totally not related in pitch. I really hunt down those records. They've got this ridiculous mishmash of things that totally don't go with each other at all. Obviously, after they've done it for a couple of years they learn how to make chords and stuff, and it's not so interesting now."

The most glaring difference is the song structure: there were more unique build-ups and call and responses on Visions than this, and that might be the weakest thing about the "poppier" songs. Oh well, I still like it and I definitely rooting for her and her career. She should keep on and we need more truly DIY and independent musicians like her out there.

TLDR: TBH Grimes Art Angels is about what I expected, right between my high expectations and worst fears. I think the weirdness and experimental creative raw stuff was the emotional appeal of her past stuff, and that's just not on Art Angels.

I've only listened to this a couple of times, but I think it's pretty good! Lot's of ideas, lot's of catchy tunes. It's poppier for sure but this is way weirder and more eclectic than "top 40 pop".

I saw her live at a small venue after Visions came out, and honestly the show was underwhelming. It was filled with screaming fan girls and she was pushing the pop rave angle pretty hard, jumping around like a chipmunk. I kind of feel like this album would work better in that context than Visions era stuff.

My wife had a great description of this album: it sounds like the soundtrack CD that would accompany a mid-2000's teen romance movie. Hard to not to hear it now.

I think there are some good songs on here ruined by the production. Her vocal skills have definitely improved. I think you could swap out the beats and have something good(not great), although still nowhere near as interesting or cool as visions.

  On 11/9/2015 at 5:58 AM, cult fiction said:

Her vocal skills have definitely improved.

Yeah I agree with this, I listened to Visions and Art Angels next to each other today and it's quite apparent now.

  On 11/9/2015 at 5:53 AM, Poiman said:

I've only listened to this a couple of times, but I think it's pretty good! Lot's of ideas, lot's of catchy tunes. It's poppier for sure but this is way weirder and more eclectic than "top 40 pop".

 

I saw her live at a small venue after Visions came out, and honestly the show was underwhelming. It was filled with screaming fan girls and she was pushing the pop rave angle pretty hard, jumping around like a chipmunk. I kind of feel like this album would work better in that context than Visions era stuff.

I don't listen to k-pop or j-pop but I've been sent enough vids and/or stumbled upon enough singles from both scenes to get the impression that many of the hits are quite weird but still very poppy. I have no idea if Art Angels was inspired by that or similar but I get the impression it's an apt comparion? I know her bf (James Brooks) is a big k-pop fan, it's pretty evident in his now defect Elite Gymnastics project (which is excellent and underrated)

Yeah, definite J-pop vibes. I know she's into it. Saw a music video show she guest programmed and it was full of J-pop stuff.

I haven't even listened to it yet btw