For her fourth album, Claire ‘Grimes’ Boucher has gone all pop. Don’t let that worry you in the slightest though, because ‘Art Angels’ expands on its acclaimed predecessor ‘Visions’ in a really satisfying way. The songs here are pure pop but they are still leftfield too, using some quite unusual melodies and harmonies to often thrilling effect. The Grimes vocal is still instantly recognisable, quite cutesy but also with a frozen edge running through it. Songs like ‘Easily’ and ‘Realiti’ show that she can do soft-voiced electronica, while at the other end of the spectrum we have the more aggressive and punky ‘SCREAM’ (with Aristophanes) and fgfd. Venus Fly, meanwhile, is a pop nugget topped off by vocals from Janelle Monae. An album of crafted pop perfection.
5 out of 5
Reviewed by Ben Hogwood
