Grimes' Haunting Visions

Grimes - Visions

The debut album from Grimes entitled Visions is a sweeping, brooding, heavy electronic album that fully embraces the new technology that allows solo do-it-yourself digital music to exist. The one-woman project is the creative musical output of Canadian Claire Boucher and it is at times beautiful and at other times overwhelming. She has a talent for using electronic effects and puts all aspects of her music through the digital loops and processes to create her songs.

Boucher's sweet, child-like voice sounds distant as it travels through the atmospheric soundscapes and bounces off the drum machine rhythms. She loops her voice, layers it, and then throws effects on it, you don't really know where it's coming from. The album has great melodies throughout, anchoring it, and infectious pop beats and styles. There are a ton of influences at play here, but the end-result, the experimentation, focus, and cohesiveness of such an ambient album is refreshing and sublime.

What originally got me into this album was the youtube videos I saw of Grimes performing live for KEXP. To see this small girl seated by herself on the floor with a keyboard, a few microphones and a slew of electronic effect boards and to watch while she creates this lush, large, and provocative music is impressive. Videos below:

Visions is an album that's very listenable, despite it's uniqueness and cutting-edge sound. Put it on and allow certain songs and melodies to grab you. It's particularly awesome on headphones.

Album Highlights: Genesis, Infinite Love Without Fulfillment, Symphonia IX (My Wait is U), Nightmusic