Art Angels turns 1 year(s) old

One year ago today, Grimes's fourth LP was released. The electropop/dance album bitterly divided Sup Forums: you either loved it to death, or you despised it. The album was lauded by pundits, with most of them naming it among the best releases of the year. Averaging an average score of 8.8 out of 10, Art Angels was the critical darling of 2015, making the Top 50 in Paste and Spin; cruising into the Top 5 in The A.V. Club, Billboard, Consequence of Sound, Fact, The New York Times, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, and Slant; and garnering the Album of the Year honors from Exclaim!, NME, and Stereogum. Featuring singles such as Realiti, Flesh without Blood, Kill V. Maim, and California, Art Angels gave Grimes her highest-charting album to date in the United States, peaking at 36 on the Billboard 200, while reaching number 2 on the Independent Albums chart and topping the Alternative Albums chart. Art Angels also hit 30 in Australia, 31 in the UK, and 16 in Boucher's native Canada. Produced almost entirely in Ableton Live, Art Angels represented a departure from the Bandcamp bedroom pop of her past and opened the door to the mainstream for Grimes, who was asked to make a song for the soundtrack for Suicide Squad and invited to curate NBA 2K16. Love it or hate it, Art Angels massively impacted the indie world in 2016.

A year later, what are Sup Forums's thoughts on this now?

strawpoll.me/11592332

Other urls found in this thread:

youtube.com/watch?v=FAIT02mB9lo
last.fm/user/chairmandore/library
youtube.com/watch?v=ahnUH7wnW30
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grimes_(musician)#Musical_style
pandora.com/station/2895208146671614201
youtube.com/watch?v=FTvanzhR6ok
youtube.com/watch?v=L_hFrJ-FM2o
youtube.com/watch?v=lhNxvoXOKcI
youtube.com/watch?v=bWam7u9uBNY
youtube.com/watch?v=UUe9rnucPoU
youtube.com/watch?v=iVt3FxE8F9w
youtube.com/watch?v=IsNaj6l5z8M
youtube.com/watch?v=q2_hBNQqEus
youtube.com/watch?v=E1cLVE1ZXqw
youtube.com/watch?v=gUxCeVupemA
youtube.com/watch?v=hy3FPRaeW3Y
youtube.com/watch?v=_0_e_OWy694
youtube.com/watch?v=Jo_AIWO2AUQ
youtube.com/watch?v=7LmBM0mTafI
youtube.com/watch?v=U-bKSyG0lng
youtube.com/watch?v=Fb_0LzBv894
youtube.com/watch?v=X8v4vwWcIgI
youtube.com/watch?v=N_hOYZ90_iQ
youtube.com/watch?v=RvXkx3IcOi4
youtube.com/watch?v=UiGHFYqeqck
youtube.com/watch?v=FsYt1-5MXT4
youtube.com/watch?v=qGLvUejoRb4
youtube.com/watch?v=NpSZxfHBPWA
youtube.com/watch?v=aw8IwXr1DFI
youtube.com/watch?v=3REHoqNE_7U
youtube.com/watch?v=c2EJMd7ZN7w
youtube.com/watch?v=cAKcox2IIGU
youtube.com/watch?v=2-aWEYezEMk
youtube.com/watch?v=83yNzuiZZ9Y
reddit.com/r/Grimes/comments/5b0wpg/favorite_and_least_favorite_songs_from_each_album/
youtube.com/watch?v=qsbiyvpel54
youtube.com/watch?v=N9XKLqGqwLA
models.com/people/grimes-/client/all
twitter.com/NSFWRedditGif

posting in ebin thread

Okay can you guys break kayfabe for just a second and just admit that this is all a meme? How on earth does her music stand out over all the other indie pop music? Why Grimes? It just has to be a meme, it has to be ironic or even several layers of post-ironic.

I love it. AOTY 2015, no doubt about it.

Grimes is a stupid wanna be chink who makes terrible unlistenable music for teen girls who want to seem underground but don't want to let go of easily accessible pop music.

OH SHIT IT'S GYBE ON MU

How's the new album coming?

Pottery

it starts out pretty weak but from kill v maim on its solid. I think she got a lot better as a producer but never really grew as a songwriter

All I can say is I hop you like your vocal sampling HIGH and your instrumentation non existent.

Just what I expected: people either love it or hate it. It's that divisive. Still, it's not cool to post the intermediate results. It affects the voting big time.

it's weak and mediocre as le fuck.

hey efrim release all lights or i'm gonna kill your jewish family lmao

...

$S10,000,745,374,653,878,345 us dollars and its urs lmao

Shame on you prick for that low rating. That's why we can't have nice things (big RYM rating): because of fuckers like you that spoil everything they touch.

sent :^)

That score is actually pretty spot on.

how many times i have to tell u guys
STOP BREAKING THE FUCKING FILTER
i don't wanna see grimes ever again

why exactly?

Does she really trigger you that much? Pretty interesting.

>NBA 2K16
i have to ignore grimes on Sup Forums and now with my shitlord friends.

Because that album is awful.

But her name is several times in the OP

>i have to ignore grimes
>posting in this thread
are you obsessed with her?

why exactly?

>1 year(s) old
i see you scHoolboy q

What kind of second hand shitty filters do you have if they don't catch her name? Grimes is mentioned multiple times in the OP's post. Fuck your filters, autist.

>That score is actually pretty spot on.
>Because that album is awful.
3.40 is considered awful? JFC, I hope you're trolling.

Because even though her music is generally not very sophisticated, it has just enough layers and quirks to make her fans feel like they're advanced listeners with an appreciation for advanced compositions

meme angels

best album of last year

>Because even though her music is generally not very sophisticated
This is just an illusion. Because she's a genius and makes the complex seems simple. Listen to the instrumental version of AA and notice the myriad of complex details from her songs. That's her biggest talent: to mix pop and experimental into something attractive.
>it has just enough layers and quirks
50 drums tracks with crowd noise on top of them is complex enough to you? I'm talking about Kill V. Maim.

Speaking of complexity, I'm going to quote this wall of text written by our own famous (in /grimes/) classical musician:

>Again - it depends on the style of music. In small-ensemble situations (typified by the jazz and classical chamber groups) sonic interest is principally achieved through variations in scale, chord progression, time signature, and tempo (aspects known as the horizontal axis elements of music in music theory circles - since they're rendered horizontally in standard music notation) rather than through variations in sonic texture and timbre.

>In contrast to this, large ensemble situations (typified by layered/sample based music - ala Grimes - and classical orchestra/organ music) the opposite is true. Sonic interest is primarily achieved through variations of sonic texture and timbre (aspects known as the vertical axis elements of music in music theory - since they rendered vertically standard music notation) brought about by combining individual samples/instruments together in constantly changing configurations, while leaving the horizontal axis elements relatively untouched.

>One of the best classical examples of this latter method is Bach's Passacaglia in C Minor (originally written for organ, but transcribed here beautifully imo for full orchestra youtube.com/watch?v=FAIT02mB9lo Notice how, despite its extended running time and constantly variating sound, the horizontal axis elements described earlier are very simply defined and NEVER change (the entire song's chord progression consists of the same 4 chords repeated ad nauseum.)

>This is the sort of context in which the complexity of Grimes' music (especially regarding her earlier stuff) is based; constant, conscious variations in sound quality rather than formal structure.

>This is just an illusion. Because she's a genius and makes the complex seem simple

Jesus fucking christ. Grimes fans are delusional. No, there's nothing genius about her music and it's not extremely complex. It's average. Grimes fans would realize this if they had classical or jazz backgrounds but they're mostly just basement-dwelling autists who don't even know much about art music, much less how to analyze it.

>50 drum tracks with crowd noise
Stacking loops in Garage Band doesn't take talent. Sorry. If you want sophisticated percussive layering listen to Steve Reich.

>Jesus fucking christ. Grimes fans are delusional. No, there's nothing genius about her music and it's not extremely complex. It's average. Grimes fans would realize this if they had classical or jazz backgrounds but they're mostly just basement-dwelling autists who don't even know much about art music, much less how to analyze it.
See >Stacking loops in Garage Band doesn't take talent.
Ableton, dude. She graduated to Ableton Live. Stacking loops it doesn't take talent. Stacking loops in an intelligent and creative manner for the biggest impact it takes talent. Also it takes talent to actually make these great loops in the first place. Don't believe me? Do some beats comparable to Kill V. Maim. I'm waiting.

>If you want sophisticated percussive layering listen to Steve Reich.
I could listen to both Grimes and Steve Reich, thank you very much.

>it's average
why?

because she is a hot Ukrainian-French-Canadian descent

>It just has to be a meme, it has to be ironic or even several layers of post-ironic.
She's a meta meme.

>How on earth does her music stand out over all the other indie pop music? Why Grimes?
This is why...

>Full name: Claire Elise Boucher
>Born: 17 March 1988 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
>Origin: Québécois, Ukrainian, Russian and Italian descent

>Instruments:
- vocals
- synthesizer
- sampler
- guitar
- bass
- drums
- violin
- ukulele

>Skills:
- singer
- songwriter
- producer
- sound engineer
- lyricist
- live performer
- visual artist
- music video director & editor
- dancer
- model

>Main interests:
Music, visual arts, dancing, books, films, modeling, video games, internet, and others

>Music taste:
last.fm/user/chairmandore/library
youtube.com/watch?v=ahnUH7wnW30
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grimes_(musician)#Musical_style
pandora.com/station/2895208146671614201

>Others:
- Grimes does everything in her music, from singing and songwriting to artwork and production
- nice personality, beautiful look, cares about environment issues and saving animals
- took her name from grime music after discovering the existence of the genre on Myspace
- studied ballet for 11 years
- was a goth outcast in high school
- studed neuroscience, philosophy, and Russian literature and McGill University before being dropped out for missing classes
- had some troubles in the past: drugs, 2 friends died because of overdosing drugs, sexual assault, shitty jobs, the professor who got her into a music program killed himself
- started making music when she was around the age of 22 or 23
- big Lord of the Rings, Dune, Game of Thrones, Star Wars, Abbess Hildegard von Bingen and Russian literature fan
- her best friends are James Brooks, Hana, Bloodpop, Duffy, Born Gold

>How on earth does her music stand out over all the other indie pop music?
By generally being better than the rest. It's not hard to understand.

Bingo!

It's pretty nice to listen to in short bursts, but it gets grating if you listen to it on repeat. Overall, I liked Visions better.

See, these are so clearly meme answers that it just affirms my belief that it's all a meme. I don't think Grimes is the worst artist of all time or anything but she does not standout it's almost as if you guys just picked a random indie pop singer as a joke to meme about.

best album this year too when you think about it

nothing really caught up

overrated AF

delet this album and kys

does a random indie pop singer have this variety of music?


youtube.com/watch?v=FTvanzhR6ok
youtube.com/watch?v=L_hFrJ-FM2o
youtube.com/watch?v=lhNxvoXOKcI
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youtube.com/watch?v=IsNaj6l5z8M
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youtube.com/watch?v=E1cLVE1ZXqw
youtube.com/watch?v=gUxCeVupemA
youtube.com/watch?v=hy3FPRaeW3Y
youtube.com/watch?v=_0_e_OWy694
youtube.com/watch?v=Jo_AIWO2AUQ
youtube.com/watch?v=7LmBM0mTafI
youtube.com/watch?v=U-bKSyG0lng
youtube.com/watch?v=Fb_0LzBv894
youtube.com/watch?v=X8v4vwWcIgI
youtube.com/watch?v=N_hOYZ90_iQ
youtube.com/watch?v=RvXkx3IcOi4
youtube.com/watch?v=UiGHFYqeqck
youtube.com/watch?v=FsYt1-5MXT4
youtube.com/watch?v=qGLvUejoRb4
youtube.com/watch?v=NpSZxfHBPWA
youtube.com/watch?v=aw8IwXr1DFI
youtube.com/watch?v=3REHoqNE_7U
youtube.com/watch?v=c2EJMd7ZN7w
youtube.com/watch?v=cAKcox2IIGU

>variety

>>variety

>>>variety

variety is good

no it's not

sometimes it is

spotted a pleb

...

Its kinda shit

>Because even though her music is generally not very sophisticated, it has just enough layers and quirks to make her fans feel like they're advanced listeners with an appreciation for advanced compositions
Lol

First listen to the vocals in this:
youtube.com/watch?v=2-aWEYezEMk

Then listen to the vocals in this:
youtube.com/watch?v=83yNzuiZZ9Y

Then find me another musical artist/composer active in the contemporary pop music world with composition skills to match Grimes, and I'll show you a list with the names of TWO contemporary musical geniuses on it (because - counter to what most morons on /mu think - there can be more than one musical genius in the world at the same time.)

see
>Grimes fans would realize this if they had classical or jazz backgrounds
Lol if you only knew...

>I don't think Grimes is the worst artist of all time or anything but she does not standout
Depends on your breadth of musical knowledge (eg. whether most of what you listen to is from the past hundred years or so.) See

But user, without Art Angels as inspiration you never would've created that amazing piece of album art.

i want to die now

10/10

Bump

4/9

Holy fuck, this is true. Nothing released this year is even remotely close to AA.

Not at all. Even most celebrated art pop artists don't even dream about this variety.

You have the answer: Grimes is that appreciated because:
1. of her huge variety
2. she's consistently great
3. she has an unique sound
4. her melodies and the interactions between sounds (very important) are magnificent.

When people are asked about their favorite/least favorite Grimes songs from each album reddit.com/r/Grimes/comments/5b0wpg/favorite_and_least_favorite_songs_from_each_album/ you'll get really different answers. Why? Because she's uniformly great. Not just a couple of obvious great songs and the rest filler, like most artists, but many, many great songs.

bump

This

Daaayum first time listening her. I have to say song is good but i really really can´t stand her voice. Also, not that complex but pop doesnt need to be complex.

Her singing is like ripoff Cocteau Twins. Only shitty.

>I have to say song is good but i really really can´t stand her voice.
Her voice is an acquired taste. You could get used to it in time. However she doesn't sing like that all time.
e.g. youtube.com/watch?v=qsbiyvpel54
youtube.com/watch?v=N9XKLqGqwLA

>Her singing is like ripoff Cocteau Twins. Only shitty.
False. How the fuck someone's voice could be a ripoff of someone else's voice? She was born with that voice, dummy. BTW, she sings way clearer than Elizabeth Fraser.

Her voice is definitely not suited to all tastes. It took me at least a week of constant listening to her entire discography before I was able to decide whether it annoyed the hell out of me or not (which is - ironically - what kept me listening since I found the fact that I honestly couldn't decide in itself fascinating.) I'll let the fact that I bother posting in these threads answer the question of which way I went.

Also, an interesting thing to consider about the apparent complexity of that song (Vanessa): it marks her first attempt at writing music in a purposefully simplistic pop style - ie. to her brain, the complexity you hear in that song is the equivalent to simple pop music.

It took me quite a long time to get used to her perhaps too sugary voice. But it eventually clicked and now I could enjoy anything she sings. Her mesmerizing music just made me to keep listening to her music. I like how she used her voice as another instrument many times, including those heavenly vocal loops.

>you either loved it to death, or you despised it
No, I heard she went full on mediocre pop, so I didn't even bother.

CUZ IM ONLY A MAN
I DO WUT I CAN

I am a huge fan of both Reich and Grimes.

Reich is undoubtedly the better composer, but Grimes has other skills that make her music very rich and enjoyable. It's certainly not complex from a writing perspective, but she's an excellent producer, arranger, and performer. And she's good at writing pop structures.

The writing is usually fairly predictable at the macrostructure level, but I think that's just because she prefers that kind of music at the moment. Her older stuff is still somewhat predictable, but less so. And as someone else said, she makes up for horizontal simplicity with vertical depth.

>I heard
>believing moo rumors
>not listening to this album with his own ears
do you want a medal?

Yes

take it

>quirks
I'm not even a waifufag but I really don't like it when people use this word to dismiss Grimes.

bump

>No, I heard she went full on mediocre pop, so I didn't even bother.
Hipsterism, personified.

>The electropop/dance album bitterly divided Sup Forums: you either loved it to death, or you despised it.
I honestly thought it was just okay.
What i do despise, however, is the faggots who constantly post Grimes as if she were some sort of genius and supermodel.

>as if she were some sort of genius
Lol - she is >and supermodel.
Lol - she is models.com/people/grimes-/client/all

The joke's on you, user:

I'd say a person can't be this delusional and you're baiting but you never know with a Grimes fan

...aaaand you can't come up with a legitimate argument to refute anything I said. Gotcha.

(Props to whoever invented this cool reply.)

It was alright. Nothing special though

>bitterly divided Sup Forums

Am I the only one who uses a filter or the hide thread option here? I am completely indifferent to Grimes, don't care one way or the other just like how many blades of grass there are in Peru or if there is a penguin in Antarctica who just tripped over a rock.

Why do people get affected by things they don't like or care for? Hide it and gone....

The most boring opinions possible. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

this is all her early shit though. admit she has taken a few steps back since then

Hey fuck you too idiot

>this is all her early shit though.
Not that user, but there are some new songs as well: Scream, Kill V. Maim, Life in the Vivid Dream, Butterfly, Ave Maria, laughing and not being normal, World Princess Part II. Your point is invalid.

>admit she has taken a few steps back since then
Not at all. She improved her singing, songwriting and production. Maybe the songs are less esoteric, but they're also more catchy.

>being this mad

Eh

I'm not going to come up with anything because it would be like arguing with a schizophrenic about the voices in their head. I'm sorry, but I just have a burning hatred for your poptimist shit.

It's called memeing something, it's just funny to go full retard over something that is boring.

Because people are complete morons. They whine about these threads but they don't do nothing about it (filtering, hiding, ignoring). They have the IQ of a retarded monkey.

>I'm sorry, but I just have a burning hatred for your poptimist shit.
Don't be sorry for being an elitist prick. This music is not for you, so please get the fuck out of this thread.

One of the downsides of Sup Forums's open messaging system is that literally anyone with an internet connection can post here - including people who are really stupid.

>downsides
want to know how I know you're "with her"

Grimes is brilliant. She makes excellent electropop with great vocals. Her instrumentals are actually interesting too, so she can appeal to normies and your typical mudrone. I hope she sticks to her guns and releases an RNB album.