Vega Intl. and Art Angels are like opposite sides of the same coin. Where Neon Indian uses catchy, how-is-this-not-already-a-song melodies and a clear, instantly likable lead voice as the accessible hooks to their cheap-sounding effects, goopy synths, and fever-dream mid-80s late-night-radio aesthetic, Grimes anchors her batshit melodies and delivery with pristine, crystal-clear production that sounds expensive.
In keeping with her what-the-fuck-am-I-listening-to vibe, Grimes delivered what has to be the most unique album of the year (at least). In the past, Claire Boucher -- who creates music under the name Grimes -- has focused on using obscure sounds and atmospheres to create oddly alluring pop music. Here, she turns that on its head and uses countless recognizable pop pieces to assemble the weirdest mosaic ever. Boucher combines her favorite bits of what worked so well for Gwen Stefani, Garbage, Miley Cyrus, Madonna, Missy Elliot, and others into a sound that no one would argue is anyone's but her own. And make no mistake, this is, in every way, her sound; she produced and engineered the entire record. On her one-two album openers, she moves from Enya-at-best, made-for-tv-fantasy-at-worst synthesized strings to bubblegummy country-tinged pop with edges so clean and sharp they could draw blood.** It doesn't get any less jarring from there. Dance-floor-ready to I-guess-this-is-pop, dreamy fantasy to gory horror. As if that wasn't bananas enough, Claire Boucher's voice is constantly going completely off the rails. From eerily child-like to classically trained to blood-curdling. Her schizophrenic delivery might call to mind early guest-verse-era Nicki Minaj, but her willingness to sound so fearlessly abrasive is best likened to Kate Bush at her most "dramatic" (oblique). As unsettling and difficult as that all sounds, the album is a masterpiece. It feels like the culmination of Boucher's already impressive career, combining what worked so well with recent in-between-albums tracks like "Go" with all the quirk and sinister-with-a-smile feel of her earlier releases. The result is as weird as it is good. It's really weird.
**Which is likely the point, as it's about the soul-crushing LA music scene.