- A noticeable trend in these stream-heavy times is the tendency for artists to release a multitude of singles in advance of an album release. Tame Impala had four singles out prior to last week’s release of The Slow Rush, while Grimes has already released five singles from her brand new record Miss Anthropocene.
It’s something I have mixed feelings about. It’s fun being drip-fed new material from our favourite artists prior to their album dropping, but it also damages the element of surprise when the long-player does finally come out.
These combined emotions accompanied me as I played the new Grimes record, but the sequencing of familiar tunes combined with the deep cuts still makes for an intoxicating listen. The artist known as Claire Boucher to her familiars is back in fine form, even opening the record with one of her best songs to date – So Heavy I Fell Through The Earth is also one of her subtler tunes, toning down her characteristic “kitchen sink” production in favour of a simple dark atmosphere, growling bass and Grimes’ voice hanging over the song like a perfectly placed piece of jewellery. Delete Forever combines an almost Wonderwall acoustic guitar chord progression with a modern pop jaunt that is at odds with the song’s nihilistic title.
Her romantic relationship with tech entrepreneur Elon Musk may be all over the tabloids, but if it’s addressed on the new record, it’s done in a characteristically abstract way. It’s clear that she continues to chronicle a world in existential crisis, despite the artificially swung-open borders provided by the Internet and social media.
As the singles have indicated, it’s a huge sounding album as well, though more gothic in tone than her more pop-focussed predecessor Art Angels. 4ÆM is a multi-faceted blend of atmospherics and Bollywood with an infectious drum ‘n bass beat added for good measure. New Gods, suitably enough, sounds like a hi-tech hymn, Claire’s voice, as usual, drenched in echo and reverb. Despite her often treated vocals, including shifts of speed and pitch, the production doesn’t erase the haunting quality of her natural voice either, her coo sounding both sweet and sinister when married to these dystopian but highly entertaining soundscapes.
Almost like a companion piece to opening track So Heavy I Fell Through The Earth, the seven-minute IDORU is perfectly placed to close the record – the two songs are like stately, majestic bookends to the album. Starting with birdsong, Grimes’ ethereal sigh and almost medieval horn sounds, the tune then slides into some supremely graceful synth pop with a memorable lyrical hook of “We can play a beautiful game”. A fine way to end this rich, dense tapestry of an album.
- Matt Thrower.