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Posted by: Q. Apr 30 2018, 07:31 PM

15 Grimes songs, 14 Grimes listeners... One winner! Commentary may not be perfectly satisfying as tbh I just don't have much time this week!!1 (however I wanna get this done)

I was thinking I'll present one song per post (and I might do this over two evenings). Sound good?

sit back, relax, listen to grimes and enjoy

Posted by: Jade Apr 30 2018, 07:34 PM

One of the holy trinity (Go, Flesh Without Blood, Kill v. Maim) to win please *.* going to predict a Flesh Without Blood win as I don't think I saw many low scores for it but idk.

Posted by: Q. Apr 30 2018, 07:42 PM

Before I begin, here's a brilliant track that like missed out on being included in this ;o (from Visions)

Posted by: Q. Apr 30 2018, 07:57 PM

15. Scream



In at last place is, rather unsurprisingly, 'Scream' off the Art Angels album. A dark and complex track (some may say it evokes a certain element of terror even), it received lows as low as 2 and 3, however DalekTurret32 gave it a 10.

The track features Aristophanes on vocals. The lyrics are spoken in Mandarin Chinese. Grimes herself did the screaming apparently. This track has proven to be a strange grower for me, didn't really get it at first but now I enjoy going on the weird sonic trip.

Average score: 6.6
Highest score: 10 (DalekTurret32)
Lowest score: 2 (Harve)

Posted by: Jade Apr 30 2018, 08:05 PM

I feel like 'Scream' has the potential to be good as I love the dark vibe and the incorporation of foreign language vocals, but I'm afraid it's a bit MUCH for me on the whole with the screaming her only real dud in this line-up though!

Posted by: Q. Apr 30 2018, 08:12 PM

14. Vanessa



'Vanessa' is from a split EP with the musician d'Eon, called Darkbloom (which I personally haven't listened to in full, oops). Someone on the YouTube comments describes the music video of this, which has over 12 million views, as 'arts students on magic mushrooms' lmao. I guess? I have just found out that apparently Grimes hates this song as in her words it was an "empty" attempt at a pop song. However, I do find there's something kinda charming about it, even if it doesn't quite live up to the greatness and beauty of some of the later music.

Average score: 7.2
Highest score: 9.3 (DalekTurret32)
Lowest score: 5 (Leww)

Posted by: Liаm Apr 30 2018, 08:27 PM

I like and appreciate Scream but yeah really not one of her best

Posted by: Q. Apr 30 2018, 08:46 PM

13. Nightmusic



The first of the tracks from Visions goes out now, at 13, unlucky for some. Featuring Majical Cloudz, this atmospheric yet rhythmic track received a 10 from Conderella, but also a couple of 6s. I gave it an 8, but I feel as though perhaps it works better within the context of the whole album, rather than a standalone track. idk tho. Visions in general is just a stunning piece of work as a whole.

Average score: 7.7
Highest score: 10 (Conderella)
Lowest score: 6 (jjake, Jade)

Posted by: Q. May 3 2018, 03:52 PM

12. California



Another Art Angels song goes out now, the melodic and funky and GOOD 'California', why must it go out so early? And I didn't realise that the video version of this is different to the album version, I think I've watched the video precisely once (now rewatching 'with one eye' tho). Personally I probably prefer the album version as it has more punch (not that every song needs punch ofc, it 100% depends) with that synth bass line, which is slightly lacking on this video version. The catchy melody remains however.

Average score: 7.76 (I'm not rounding it to 7.8 for a reason btw. Reason being that the next song to go out would also round to 7.8 )
Highest score: 10 (Mattias )
Lowest score: 6 (dandy*, Jade)

Posted by: Q. May 3 2018, 04:20 PM

11. Crystal Ball



Some atmospheric weirdness / weird atmosphericness now, with 'Crystal Ball' (another one from Darkbloom) going out at #11. I didn't know this track well at all before I put together this rate but I decided to include it as it has a music video and them's the guidelines I made up, ha. I gave it an 8 however, as it's an interesting track with a satisfying mixture of sounds going on. Jüpiter dished out his 11 to this one!

Average score: 7.82
Highest score: 11 (Jüpiter)
Lowest score: 5 (jjake)

Posted by: Jüpiter May 3 2018, 04:24 PM

Crystal Ball by far my fave Grimes track.
But having said that most everything here scored 8+ from me. I'm shocked someone could give it a 5 mind.

Posted by: Q. May 3 2018, 04:40 PM

10. Belly of the Beat



This song makes me feelgood I do feel as though I oughta make myself more acquainted with all of these music videos as well, because even tho I've watched them all at least once, they deserve to be really immersed in and remembered! Anyway, this is another one from Art Angels of course, and apparently is about escaping both emotional and physical pain by getting lost in music. I really think this does come across in the 'bouncy' rhythmic music and the lyrics! "and you never get sad, and you never get sick..."

Average score: 7.9
Highest score: 9.5 (DalekTurret32)
Lowest score: 7 (Jüpiter, Harve, Leww, blacksquare, Joe, SevenSeize)

Posted by: The Snake 🐍 May 3 2018, 05:05 PM

I hope 'Genesis', the Radio 1 nighttime fave (which I loved) back in the early 10s wins!

Posted by: Q. May 3 2018, 05:16 PM

9. World Princess Pt. II



I remember when I listened to Art Angels for the first time, this track was one of the ones that stood out and that I became hooked on. That isn't a surprise as it's got kind of a trip-hop beat and vibe, something which I usually love. Grimes has said that this 'world princess' is a friend who inspires many of her songs, and this song of course has a part 1, called 'World Princess' with a white heart emoji in the middle of the two words which I don't seem to be able to get to appear in this commentary :') That song is included on the Halfaxa album.

So yeah, cannot get enough of the trip-hop vibe on this one. It also makes use of Grimes' signature vocal stylings, kind of a high-pitched musical instrument in itself!

Average score: 8.2
Highest score: 10 (Mattias)
Lowest score: Harve (6)

Posted by: Q. May 6 2018, 11:57 AM

8. Butterfly



'Butterfly', the closing track from Art Angels goes out here at #8. This was another kind-of grower for me! Always liked it, now I love it. It's got such a light, airy, atmospheric yet bouncy vibe that makes me vibe along with it. This song was vetoed in BJSC, prompting a discussion about whether or not Grimes is popular / well-known enough for a veto. This song may not be one of her most well-known tracks, but I'm inclined to agree with a Grimes veto these days.

The melody and hooks of this are so infectious, and I love how the song concludes from all the euphoria with Grimes exclaiming "If you're looking for a dream girl... I'll never be your dream girl!"

As many as 8 people gave this a score of 9, including meself.

Average score: 8.5
Highest score: 10 (Conderella)
Lowest score: 7 (Harve, jjake, Harry)

Posted by: Jüpiter May 6 2018, 12:54 PM

World Princess one of my top tracks by her. Butterfly is good too but I like it less <3

Posted by: Q. May 6 2018, 01:22 PM

Thanks for the bit of commentary being provided by a few of you, I appreciate it. Will continue on, aiming to do a few more today.

7. Go



Called one of the 'holy trinity' by Jade, however 'Go' fails to make the top 3 and goes out before the top 5 even. Featuring Blood Diamonds, stylistically it differs slightly from Grimes' usual thing. In fact, it was originally written for Rihanna, who declined to record it.

The song managed to get as many as four 11s, however a few lower scores from Harve (4), dandy* and myself (6) brought it down.

Average score: 8.7
Highest score: 11 (Conderella, Leww, Harry, Jade)
Lowest score: 4 (Harve)

Posted by: Liаm May 6 2018, 01:25 PM

Wtf at Go that low!!! I know it's not very her at all but it's a perfect trap-pop song. I can never get over the fact that Rihanna rejected it, it would have been one of those career high moments for her surely? I'm glad Grimes gave it to us even if it was totally out of character for her.

Butterfly is lovely too, I agree that it's so airy and light but boppy as well <3

Posted by: Harve May 6 2018, 01:34 PM

I gave 'Belly Of The Beast' and 'Butterfly' their joint-lowest scores but a 7 is still a score for a very good song and one that would normally get double figure Skall points! I can see that I wasn't as generous as others, so I might look like a hater but I still love u Grimes~

Posted by: Q. May 6 2018, 01:43 PM

6. Venus Fly



Featuring Janelle Monáe, 'Venus Fly' comes out at #6! Quite a bonkers song with an equally bonkers video clip, which is about 4 minutes longer than the album version of the song, featuring an extra intro of weird vocalizations and some other extra parts later on. For me it's definitely one of the more bizarre and messy Grimes experiences but that's a good thing. Musically, it's got some banging beats and lovely string parts / other instrumentation! The vocal hooks are probably the most memorable parts about the song though. "why you lookin' @ me?"

Average score: 8.9
Highest score: 10 (Conderella, Liam, Harry, dandy*, Joe)
Lowest score: 7 (Jüpiter Fly)

Posted by: Liаm May 6 2018, 01:45 PM

Bopppp, her and Janelle fit together so well

Posted by: HarryEzra May 6 2018, 01:53 PM

errr how is Go so low :/ It is such a bop wtf

Venus Fly is a bop too so im glad they are high up but both should be top 5

Posted by: Jüpiter May 6 2018, 03:09 PM

Also baffled at Go being that low. Were non-fans rating? >.>

Posted by: Jade May 6 2018, 03:20 PM

Aw 'Go' deserved so much more! I would have pegged it as a winning contender before anyone actually started rating. The song that got me into her.

Posted by: dandy* May 6 2018, 03:27 PM

Go is decent for what it is but it is far from her best for me, her holy trinity are definitely Realiti/Flesh/Kill

Posted by: Q. May 6 2018, 03:45 PM

5. REALiTi



Starting off the top 5! This music video was not intended to be released until Grimes decided to give it as a thank-you to her fans in Asia. The song, which is included on Art Angels, has been described as a mix of EDM and trance. It's certainly got some lovely bleeps and bloops, with a catchy and memorable vocal line.

Average score: 9
Highest score: 10 (Jüpiter, Leww, blacksquare, dandy*, Joe, SevenSeize)
Lowest score: 7 (Mattias )

Posted by: Q. May 7 2018, 02:18 PM

Aiming to finish this today! Your top 4 songs are, in alphabetical order: 'Flesh Without Blood', 'Genesis', 'Kill V. Maim' and 'Oblivion'. Find out what order we have ranked them!


4. Oblivion



This wonderful track was my introduction to Grimes. I kept hearing it on some ad on TV, and eventually I got so hooked on hearing it that I believe I googled some of the lyrics I had picked out, and this popped up. Soon after that, Visions became one of the first albums I bought on iTunes, as I was getting into downloading music off iTunes around then (before that I was still just getting physical CDs). I can't quite explain how this song makes me feel but it's good haha.

Average score: 9.3
Highest score: 10 (Conderella, Liam, Leww, blacksquare, Mattias, dandy*, SevenSeize)
Lowest score: 7 (Jüpiter)

Posted by: Q. May 7 2018, 03:35 PM

3. Genesis



woah this has so many views on YouTube... 51 mill. Apparently Tumblr helped it go viral. So this is the track to which I dished out my own personal 11, I just love the bass line and the various other sounds that caress my ears throughout the song. As for the video, Grimes has spoken about it being inspired by a painting by her favourite painter, Hieronymus Bosch, called The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things. Interesting. Grimes just screams of a true artist, so the idea of her being inspired by a painting is of course no surprise whatsoever, and makes total sense. Apparently she is also interested in neuroscience and Russian literature and has studied both. Very interesting indeed.

Average score: 9.6
Highest score: 11 (blacksquare, Mattias, DalekTurret32)
Lowest score: 8 (Harry, Joe)


'Flesh Without Blood' and 'Kill V. Maim' are our top 2!!! Speculate!

Posted by: Jüpiter May 7 2018, 06:21 PM

Oblivion higher than I expected, not one I go back to at all really. Genesis on the other hand of course features the wonderful Brooke Candy in the video! A fave <3

Posted by: Liаm May 7 2018, 06:26 PM

Those two got me into Grimes, particularly Oblivion They're both so quintessentially her but I wouldn't change the pop route she's gone down now.

Posted by: Q. May 7 2018, 07:34 PM

dum dum dum the time has come come come

2. Kill V. Maim



Our second highest choice goes to the crazeh 'Kill V. Maim', a track I personally probably would've rated even higher than an 8 a couple years ago but I have since gone off it just a tad. I do remember the day the video of this was released, I was so excited and watched it with utter glee. The whole thing was just so artistically bonkers, if that makes sense. A very energetic track and indeed video, Kill V. Maim scored three 11s, however despite its super high position here (which isn't surprising), it did receive a 7 as well. We've already read Harve's explanation for some of his lower scores though, and 7 is nothing to be sniffed at.

Average score: 9.7
Highest score: 11 (Liam, dandy*, Joe)
Lowest score: 7 (Harve)


which means of COURSE


1. Flesh Without Blood



Both of the top 2 songs are from the fantastic Art Angels album, but 'Flesh Without Blood' wins out! Featuring another track from said album, 'Life in the Vivid Dream', at the end of the video clip, the song received just two 11s ('Go' actually got the most at 4, yet ended up at "only" #7!) but also a huge number of 10s - 10 of them, to be specific (and also 9.5 and 9.7 from Harry and Dalek, respectively). A wonderfully infectious track from the moment it starts off with the "oh aa oh" vocals, it is no surprise that this wins here and it did also win the Genre Forum Song Contest that took place a while back!

Average score: 10
Highest score: 11 (jjake, SevenSeize)
Lowest score: 9.5 (Harry)

Posted by: Q. May 7 2018, 07:41 PM

1. Flesh Without Blood
2. Kill V. Maim
3. Genesis
4. Oblivion
5. REALiTi
6. Venus Fly
7. Go
8. Butterfly
9. World Princess pt. II
10. Belly of the Beat
11. Crystal Ball
12. California
13. Nightmusic
14. Vanessa
15. Scream

Thanks to everyone who rated and commented!

Posted by: Harve May 8 2018, 06:14 AM

Meanwhile https://consequenceofsound.net/2018/05/grimes-is-dating-elon-musk-report/ that she's dating ELON MUSK.



I feel like we need to adjust the pop star political compass a bit (tho Taylor is still a barely-disguised white nationalist, she can stay in the top-right).

Posted by: Liаm May 8 2018, 11:12 AM

Perfect top 2 in different ways, both SO her while being more accessible as pop leaning tracks. I can never quite choose between either of the two or Go as my Grimes fave. Kill V Maim is so batshit insane while maintaining that poppy feel and I think it's the track on Art Angels that mixes old and new Grimes the best, it could only be sang by her. Flesh Without Blood is such a pop money shot in the best way, a flawless pop song but it's not selling out or anything.

Also screaming at her and Elon Musk, get that sugar daddy girl x

Posted by: Harve May 8 2018, 04:52 PM

Flesh Without Blood, Genesis and Realiti are probs my top 3, and two of them are amongst her poppiest and most accessible moments. Pop Grimes can most definitely stay x

Posted by: Jade May 8 2018, 09:37 PM

Ooh yes, looks like I was right about 'Flesh Without Blood' triumphing! I didn't think I saw many low scores for it but wow, nothing lower than 9.5 is quite remarkable it certainly deserves all the love though as it's a brilliant pop song. It is my second favourite Grimes song after 'Go'. Then 'Kill v. Maim' is brilliantly bonkers so that rounds off the top two just wonderfully. The gold and silver make up for 'Go' not quite being on the podium.

Thanks for running this Mattias! <3