Visions by Grimes is not speed metal or gnarly Oi punk, nor was it created by a teenage skaterdood from Southern California. It is in fact the ugliest record cover in the history of 4AD Records, breaking a 30+ year streak of immortal to pretty good sleeves.
Luckily, it is one of the best records 4AD has put out in ages, mixing etherea with electronic, goth and pop, and other things you like with other things you like. For example, Genesis takes a call-and-response type vocal melody and drops layers of wordless voices and drummy loops to make a quite lovely pop confection.
In fact, there are loads of those varying vocal charms, mixed with modern electronica and classic technology. (Is that an Art Of Noise Fairlight string sting I hear on Oblivion? Not to mention a lot of OMD-before-they-met-John-Hughes sorts of bits too.)
When I put this in writing, it all sounds a little been there, done that, but there's a real magic to Visions. This isn't some retro throwback synth pop record. Nor is it some high-falutin' theoretical imagining of the future of music. At its heart, it's just... fun.
Don't believe me? Check out the ecstatic vocal swoops in Circumambient or the sheer hookiness of Be A Body. This one might take a while to grow on you. I'm still finding new favorites months later!
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