With her first three albums, Claire Boucher (aka Grimes) has built up a reputation as an interesting, but often difficult singer. After intensive touring with (2012), the Canadian almost collapsed and threw away most of the new material. We finally only heard a first glimpse of Grimes' new, more accessible direction at the beginning of 2015, in the form of REALiTi - a holdover from the deleted
… recordings and actually not intended for the new record at all. The song now turns out to fit in wonderfully. With Art Angels, the Canadian must be able to succeed in the difficult mission of reaching a larger audience, without losing its credibility. The two preceded singles Scream (featuring Taiwanese rapper ) and Flesh Without Blood sum it up nicely: chaotic and experimental, versus slick and poppy. More songs (California, Kill V. Maim) listen deceptively well, but almost always there is a sharp edge somewhere. The results: 11,000 copies sold after one week and record of the year with the critics of the NME and Stereogum. Mission accomplished. (RME)more
