Grimes Pomo Artist

GENRE:

Pop

Experimental

Electro pop

Ambient

Witch House

Synthpop

Dream pop

Baroque pop

Electro R&B

Grimes shows eclecticism and embraces contradictions through

multiple genres (Kramer)

Combines low and high styles together classical and rock/pop

(Kramer)

HOMAGE/PASTICHE/BRICOLAGE/SAMPLING/SAMPLERS:

Butterfly (Art Angels 2016) sampled Masayoshi Takanaka

Penguin Dancer (2015)

Know The Way (Visions 2012) sampled Erik Satie First

Gymnopedie (1888)

World Princess (Halfaxa 2010) sampled The Jesus and Mary Chain -
Just Like Honey (1985)

Challenges barriers between high and low styles First Gymnopedie

is classical and Grimes turned it ambient (Kramer)

Embraces contradictions (Kramer)

Genesis (Visions 2012) was sampled in Ethelwulf and Bones

MorningDew

Eight (Visions 2012) was sampled in Cadence Weapons 88

 Art Angels lithographs can be seen as a tribute towards Japanese
manga/anime after being inspired by comic book artists Daniel
Clowes and Charles Burns.

Grimes can be seen to identify with the term homage with

minimalism, changing melodies ever so slightly through digital
effects like reverb, or by recreating the older music with new
instruments through interpolation

Grimes can be seen to identify with the term bricolage as she

blends unusual genres together e.g. classical music with
rock,electronic and pop

Grimes is disrespecting boundaries between sonorities and

procedures of the past through genre mixups to create something
completely new (Kramer)

REMIXES:

Little Jimmy Urine Kill V. Maim Remix (2016)

HANA California Remix (2016)

Grimes music has influenced others to take her work a step further
within the music industry

SIMULACRUM:

Grimes is a made up pop star a character in the industry.

Grimes is the artist Claire Boucher is the

producer/singer/songwriter/editor/video director/album art designer
e.t.c. who creates the music at home whilst Grimes performs it on
stage.

Grimes enables Boucher to remove her elements of nervousness

within her and become a completely new, confident person when
shes performing.

Grimes is an actor, she created her own character alongside the

characters of the Art Angels.

Grimes was brought to the world through MySpace when her

account appeared in 2007, after taking inspiration for her name
from grime music.

CONSUMPTION:

4 albums Geidi Primes (2010), Halfaxa (2010), Visions (2012), Art

Angels (2015)
 Digital downloads

CDs

Vinyls with special artwork lithographs in Art Angels/limited edition

Visions colours

Cassette tapes

Use of multiple consumption types allows Grimes to reach a larger

audience e.g. teens will download music digitally and potentially
buy vinyls whilst adults may buy the vinyls and the CDs.

Use of multiple consumption types also allows Grimes to experiment

with the use of technology both herself and with her audience
depending on the platform they choose to listen to the music with.

Music videos were created for greater buzz of Bouchers music as

well, airing on YouTube, iTunes and Tidal.

LIVE/PERFORMANCE:

Live instruments e.g. electric guitar/keyboard

Technology e.g. samplers/looper/drum pads/Ableton/microphones

etc

Stands out by singing in different languages (Halfaxa contains

Russian songs and she raps Aristophanes Taiwanese rap in Russian
live)

Screams on stage non mainstream

KILL V. MAIM:

Kill V. Maim Music Video intertextual references from Blade (blood

bath), Natalie Portman in Black Swan (black wings), Dark Souls
(you died), Law and Order (font type for song title)

Directed and edited by Claire and Mac Boucher

Written in the perspective of Al Pacino from The Godfather (however

he is a vampire who can switch gender and travel through space)

FLESH WITHOUT BLOOD/LIFE IN THE VIVID DREAM:

Double feature music video on YouTube:

Represents a contrast in Art Angels from Kill V. Maim KVM (black

angel)/FWB (white angel) difference of meaning and visuals within
 her album/embracing contradictions through her simulacrums mise
en scene (Kramer)

Inspiration/intertextuality from Marilyn Manson white and black

eyes

INFLUENCES:

Aphex Twin

Paramore

Beyonce

Burial

Queen

Nine Inch Nails

Marilyn Manson

David Bowie

Michael Jackson

The Legend Of Zelda

Medieval Music

The Godfather

Dune (novels)

Grimes encompasses eclecticism through her inspirations (Kramer)

Grimes embraces contradictions through the wide range of genres

(Kramer)

GEIDI PRIMES (2010 ALBUM):

Based entirely off her favourite novel series, Dune created by Frank
Herbert

Title refers to the fictional planet Giedi Prime of the Dune universe

Track 1 Caladan fictional planet name of the same place

Track 2 Sardaukar Levenbrech military rank of Levenbrech (in

between sergeant and lieutenant)
 Track 3 Zoal, Face Dancer a face dancer is a type of human who
can shapeshift

Track 6 Feyd Rautha Dark Heart primary antagonist of the first

novel named Feyd Rautha

Track 10 Shadout Mapes minor character of the same name

Track 11 Beast Infection beast nickname of the character

Rabban

COLLABORATIONS:

Scream Feat. Aristophanes

Venus Fly Feat. Janelle Monae

Go Blood Diamonds Feat. Grimes

Phone Sex Blood Diamonds Feat. Grimes

Darkbloom EP dEon and Grimes

Entropy Bleachers and Grimes

HANA perform together/feature in music videos together

MEDIEVAL WARFARE:

Featured on the 2016 soundtrack for the blockbuster Suicide Squad

Song written about the main character Harley Quinn

Relevant to social and cultural contexts of the film through the use
of lyrics about Harley Quinns medieval warfare and fighting men
(Kramer)

KRAMER THEORY APPLIED TO GRIMES:

Doesnt respect boundaries between sonorities and procedures of

the past and present mixup of genres/visuals/intertextuality etc

Not simply a repudiation of modernism or its continuation, but has

aspects of both a break and an extension sampling/intertextuality
combined with new elements etc

Challenges barriers between low and high styles mixes classical

music with pop/rock

Shows disdain for the often unquestioned value of structural unity

Questions the mutual exclusivity of elitist and and populist values

 Avoids totalising forms

Considers music as relevant to social/cultural contexts Medieval

Warfare relates to social context of Suicide Squad and Harley Quinn

Includes quotations/references to music of many traditions/cultures

sings in Russian on Halfaxa. Raps in Russian to Scream live.
Aristophanes brings Taiwanese culture to her rap for Scream.

Embraces contradictions genre mashups/music video

intertextuality

Considers technology as a way to preserve/transmit music and is

implicated in the production and essence of music consumption
created through technology, she produces her music using DAWs
like Ableton and uses technological instruments like
samplers/loopers/drum pads etc