Wednesday 8 February 2012

Grimes - Genesis


Grimes, a.k.a Canadian Claire Boucher, has stated in interviews she aspires to the idea of the producer-singer.  This certainly comes across in her music, equally at ease when singing and knob-twiddling.

But there's another dichotomy at play here - that between the ethereal and up-tempo pop.  You could almost describe this as 'Enya in the club'.  Boucher's heavily reverbed, girlish falsetto echoes like an incantation above a trance synth-bass riff.  The percussive beats are central, set off against the playful piano arpeggios and the pentatonic synth flute melodies offering an oriental feel.  There's an abstract quality to this akin to Bjork, but it's very much in the vein of pop.  Boucher supported Lykke Li last year in North America, which comes as no surprise.

Genesis is a more approachable effort than her previous material - EP 'Geidi Primes' and LP 'Halfaxa'.  Perhaps, now that she's signed to record label 4AD, this track marks the start of a new, pop-focused beginning.  After topping NME's 'Most Exciting New Bands of 2012', there's high expectations for the new album 'Visions'.  If Genesis is any indication, it's worth bumping it up your priority list.

4/5

Listen: Genesis is available to download for free on Grimes's website.  'Visions' is released on February 21st.

Watch: Grimes will be touring the UK in May.