Grimes

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Grimes
Visions
$12.98

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Claire Boucher is the 23-year-old musician known as Grimes. A Vancouver B.C. native, Boucher relocated to Montreal in 2006 where she was incubated by the record label and DIY arts community, Arbutus Re- cords. Grimes’ bright, reverberated, sprawling voice is layered over bass-heavy electric dance floor beats and lush synth melodies. Grimes has an extensive vocal range as well as an extensive range of influ- ences, although lyrics are intentionally underplayed so that the music has a less literal feel. You can hear elements of industrial, classical, R&B, new age, and electronica that’s often simultaneously danceable, moody and introspective.

Employing a sort of post-punk ethos (or “post inter- net” in her own words) Boucher’s tendency is toward multiplicity. It’s apparent that her source material comes from just about everywhere. Musically, Gimes draws from Mariah Carey, Gang Gang Dance, the Smiths, Cocteau Twins and Prince. Inspirationally, Boucher professes that Frank Herbert’s Dune, The Lord of the Rings, and The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time lent a considerable hand in shaping her 2010 release Geidi Primes (the name of the album itself comes from a planet in the novel Dune, an industrial wasteland). Her statement: “I love escapism, and I feel like those books are ultimate examples of escap- ism...” goes a long way in explaining the surreal mood that her music evokes.

For an artist with such broad influences and inspira- tions her music is very focused, as if a single thread can be traced from track to track and album to album. Since 2010, Grimes has released two LP’s: the afore- mentioned Geidi Primes, Halfaxa, and a split EP, Dark- bloom, with D’Eon. Each release a great work in its own right, Grimes has been gearing up for her much anticipated 2012 release, Visions.

By her own account, Grimes considers everything she has released to date as fairly experimental and un- polished. With no formal musical training and limited production resources she has managed to put out some impressive, and cohesive work. For any cre- ative project, it is beginnings like these that forecast a promising future.

ERIK HANSEN

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