In 2012, Grimes topped both my Festive Fifty with ‘Genesis’ and was also my album of the year for Visions. At this point in time, the only time an artist has done that on this blog.
She’s shortly to release a new album, in the meantime, she’s made the rather lovely ‘Go’ featuring Blood Diamonds available to stream and download for free. No, it doesn’t sound like Genesis part 2, but it’s gorgeous leftfield pop. Bring on the new album! In the meantime, enjoy this…
1. Grimes ‘Genesis.’
2. King Creosote ‘Ankle Shackles.’
3. Bobby Womack ‘Please Forgive My Heart.’
4. Blur ‘Under The Westway.’
5. Burial ‘Kindred.’
6. Frank Ocean ‘Pyramids.’
7. Bat For Lashes ‘Laura.’
8. Carter Damm ‘Clowning.’
9. Cat Power ‘Ruin.’
10.Antony & the Johnsons ‘Cut The World.’
11.Miniature Dinosaurs ‘Next Of Kin.’
12.Last Battle ‘The Crunching.’
13.Twin Shadow ‘Five Seconds.’
14.Liars ‘No.1 Against The Rush.’
15.Meursault ‘Flittin’.’
16.Mark Lanegan Band ‘The Gravedigger’s Song.’
17.Withered Hand ‘It’s A Wonderful Lie.’
18.Jack White ‘Sixteen Saltines.’
19.Last Battle ‘Hope Is Gold.’
20.Aggi Doom ‘Bring Me The Head.’
21.Burial ‘The Loner.’
22.Blur ‘The Puritan.’
23.Hiva Oa ‘Badger.’
24.First Aid Kit ‘Emmylou.’
25.Miniature Dinosaurs ‘Lemonade.’
26.Frightened Rabbit ‘State Hospital.’
27.Shy & DRS featuring Sandi Thom ‘The Love Is Gone.’
28.Spiritualized ‘Hey Jane.’
29.Stanley Odd ‘Get Out Ma Headspace.’
30.Cancel The Astronauts ‘I Sold My Soul (And This Is All I Got)’
31.King Creosote ‘Doubles Underneath.’
32.Withered Hand ‘Inbetweens.’
33.Wedding Present ‘You Jane.’
34.Palma Violets ‘Best Of Friends.’
35.Plan B ‘Ill Manors.’
36.Spook School ‘Here We Go.’
37.Vaccines ‘Teenage Icon.’
38.Scott Walker ‘Epizootics!’
39.Soap&Skin ‘Wonder.’
40.Adele ‘Skyfall.’
41.Dead Can Dance ‘Children Of The Sun.’
42.Burial ‘Ashtray Wasp.’
43.RM Hubbert ‘Car Song.’
44.Flaming Lips featuring Erykah Badu ‘The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face.’
45.Jesus, Baby! ‘the Caterpillar Tango.’
46.King Creosote ‘On The Night Of The Bonfire.’
47.M.I.A. ‘Bad Girls.’
48.Cornershop ‘What Did The Hippie Have In His Bag?’
49.Spook School ‘Cameraman.’
50.Michael Kiwanuka ‘Home Again.’
Cue the usual criticisms:
Why aren’t there any women in the list?
I’m sure that Grimes, Bat For Lashes, Cat Power, M.I.A., Adele, Soap&Skin, First Aid Kit, to say nothing of the female members of Spook School, Aggi Doom and Carter Damm are intrigued that they aren’t female enough for you.
Why is it all white people with guitars?
Er, really? Michael Kiwanuka, M.I.A, Erykah Badu, Frank Ocean and Bobby Womack, amongst others might have something to say about that.
Why do you never include any Scottish artists?
See no.s 2, 8, 11, 12, 15, 17, 19, 20, 23, 25, 26, 27, 29-32, 36, 43, 45, 46, 49…
Why aren’t Grizzly Bear in there?
Because they don’t do anything for me. Neither do the XX, before you ask.
How dare you include Adele?
How dare you not include her? The sole thing to qualify an entry for this list is that it has come out this year. Not how cool does some fashion nazi think they are.
The hipster blogs lists don’t look anything like this.
Good.
Albums to follow soon…
OK folks, there will be another radio show from me this week at 7-8PM on Fresh Air
this coming Thursday.
This was last week’s show -here’s the tracklisting again, and if you wish to listen to it, it’s there below:
1. Dead Can Dance ‘Children Of The Sun.’
2. Kate Bush ‘Running Up That Hill.’
3. Twin Shadow ‘Five Seconds.’
4. We Are The Physics ‘Applied Robotics.’
5. Aggi Doom ‘Bring Me The Head.’
6. Shamen ‘Jesus Loves Amerika.’ ‘Gone but not forgotten.’
7. Soap&Skin ‘Wonder.’
8. Cancel The Astronauts ‘Making Dynamite.’ Album of the month Animal Love Match
9. Matt Norris and the Moon ‘Roots Below.’
10. The Delgados ‘Mr. Blue Sky.’ ‘Cover version of the week.’
11. Grimes ‘Genesis.’
12. Antony & the Johnsons ‘Cut The World.’
Grimes – ‘Visions.’ (4AD)
Although this is her third album, I can’t be the only person who hadn’t heard of Grimes until a few months ago. But when ‘Genesis’ started circulating a few months ago, it was (and remains) a strong enough track to suggest that this might well be an album paying serious attention to. And so it proves.
The work of Canadian Claire Boucher, Grimes is a leftfield pop meets electronica proposition. It is fitting that amongst her new labelmates are acts like Twin Shadow and Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti. Though all three acts have their own distinctive sound and none of them are simply mining the eighties, there is a spirit common to all three, as well as a parent label. Not only that, but the ability to be bothy accessibily pop yet experimental in approach without one compromising the other, at least to these ears.
That said, I genuinely think Grimes is a superior act to both of them. This is a wonderful album, that I have had on repeatedly over the last few days, wondering at its’ atmospheric beauty, desperate to hear more.
Album of the year so far for me.
****1/2
Visions is out now on 4AD
Although new to this blogger, the work of Grimes is not new to the world of music.
The work of Claire Boucher, she moved from Vancouver to Montreal, becoming involved in the DiY scene there. She’s about to release her fourth album in less than two years, entitled Visions, and this will be coming out one one of my favourite labels ever, 4AD.
The lead track doing the rounds is the single ‘Genesis’ which sounds nothing like the prog-rockers fronted by Messrs. Gabriel, Collins and whoever it was that was also in Stiltskin, but instead, her music sounds like a mix of mid-80s Madonna, Kate Bush, TLC and the Aphex Twin (sorry, I cribbed this last bit out of the NME. But here’s the thing: it’s so true!)
Check out out for yourself, this track is getting a lot of play round at 17 Seconds Towers. She may be all over the blogosphere at the moment – but I’m willing to bet she’ll be all over the en of year lists when they roll round (yet again).