Art Angels
{{Short description|2015 studio album by Grimes}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Art Angels
| type = studio
| artist = Grimes
| cover = Grimes - Art Angels.png
| alt =
| released = {{Start date|2015|11|6}}
| recorded = 2013–2015
| studio =
| genre =
| length = {{duration|m=49|s=37}}
| label = 4AD
| producer = Grimes
| prev_title = Visions
| prev_year = 2012
| next_title = Miss Anthropocene
| next_year = 2020
| misc = {{Singles
| name = Art Angels
| type = studio
| single1 = Flesh Without Blood
| single1date = October 26, 2015
| single2 = Kill V. Maim
| single2date = March 4, 2016
}}
}}
Art Angels is the fourth studio album by Canadian musician Grimes. It was digitally released on November 6, 2015, through 4AD, and in physical formats on December 11. Boucher began planning the record in 2013 as the follow-up to her third studio album, Visions; however, for unknown reasons, she scrapped most of the material from these sessions and began a new set of recordings in 2014. The track "Realiti", which came from the earlier recordings, was released as a demo in early 2015.
Art Angels has been described as being more accessible than Boucher's previous albums while retaining her experimental influences. The album features guest appearances by Taiwanese rapper Aristophanes and American singer Janelle Monáe. The album spawned two singles—"Flesh Without Blood" and "Kill V. Maim"—as well as music videos for several tracks. Art Angels sold 11,000 copies in its first week, peaking at number 36 in the United States. The album was released to widespread critical acclaim and was ranked by several publications as one of the best albums of 2015.
Background
Boucher's constant touring in 2013 for her 2012 album, Visions, almost led to a physical collapse by the end of the year, bringing her to a point where she recalled "putting a hand up and grabbing a piece of [her] hair, and [she] could just pull [her] hair out". She also became tired of how the music industry ignored her technical abilities, who would focus on her being a "female musician" and having a "girly voice"; she responded to these generalisations with "yeah, but I'm a producer and I spend all day looking at fucking graphs and EQs and doing really technical work".{{cite magazine|first=Emilie|last=Friedlander|url=http://www.thefader.com/2015/07/28/grimes-cover-story-interview|title=Grimes In Reality|magazine=The Fader|date=July 28, 2015|access-date=November 23, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170403100818/http://www.thefader.com/2015/07/28/grimes-cover-story-interview|archive-date=April 3, 2017|url-status=live}} When media outlets began running her Tumblr posts as headlines, she wrote a post on her blog about her misrepresentation in the media and the sexism she had faced in the music industry, declaring "i dont want my words to be taken out of context. i dont want to be infantilized because i refuse to be sexualized [...] im tired of the weird insistence that i need a band or i need to work with outside producers{{sic}}".{{cite web|first=Gregory|last=Adams|url=http://exclaim.ca/music/article/grimes_sounds_off_on_sexism_stereotypes|title=Grimes Sounds Off on Sexism and Stereotypes|work=Exclaim!|date=April 24, 2013|access-date=November 23, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151123135253/http://exclaim.ca/music/article/grimes_sounds_off_on_sexism_stereotypes|archive-date=November 23, 2015|url-status=live}} Being in an "unstable" and "beyond exhausted" state, along with her frustration toward the media, caused her to consider ending the Grimes project and solely writing songs for other artists, or at least putting her life in the public eye on hold. Her experiences, however, eventually began to strengthen her conviction in her being a solo artist. In a 2015 feature by The Fader, Boucher stated that while working in music studios "there [were] all these engineers [that didn't let her] touch the equipment [...] and then a male producer would come in, and he'd be allowed to do it". These incidents, which she described as sexist, left her "disillusioned with the music industry" and made her "realize what [she] was doing is important".
Recording and production
File:Hidden Figures cast at the Kennedy Space Center (31234501480) (cropped).jpg contributed vocals to the track "Venus Fly".]]
{{Listen|filename="laughing and not being normal" - Grimes.ogg|title="Laughing and Not Being Normal"|description="Laughing and Not Being Normal" epitomises Boucher's use of real instruments on Art Angels—including the violin—which she learned to play while recording the album.|pos=right|title2="Scream"|filename2="SCREAM" - Grimes feat. Aristophanes.ogg|description2="Scream" features lead vocals from Taiwanese rapper Aristophanes and additional screaming from Boucher.{{cite magazine|first=Rachel|last=Syme|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/grimes-the-triumph-of-a-self-made-oddball-20151105|title=Grimes: The Triumph of a Self-Made Oddball|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=November 5, 2015|access-date=January 9, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170820040853/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/grimes-the-triumph-of-a-self-made-oddball-20151105|archive-date=August 20, 2017|url-status=live}}|title3="Flesh Without Blood"|filename3=Grimes - "Flesh without Blood".ogg|description3=One of the less experimental pop songs on Art Angels, "Flesh Without Blood" is the album's lead single and highest-charting song.}}
Musically, the album has been described as pop,{{cite news|first=Rachel|last=Aroesti|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/oct/31/claire-boucher-grimes-art-angels|title=Grimes: 'In my life, I'm a lot more weird than this'|newspaper=The Guardian|date=October 31, 2015|access-date=November 11, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200916212735/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/oct/31/claire-boucher-grimes-art-angels|archive-date=September 16, 2020|url-status=live}}{{cite news|first=Kitty|last=Empire|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/nov/08/grimes-art-angels-observer-review|title=Grimes: Art Angels review – renegade seeks a place in pop heaven|newspaper=The Observer|date=November 8, 2015|access-date=November 9, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151212063936/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/nov/08/grimes-art-angels-observer-review|archive-date=December 12, 2015|url-status=live}}{{cite web|first=Colin|last=Joyce|url=http://www.spin.com/2015/11/review-grimes-art-angels/|title=Review: Grimes Preaches Wonderful and Horrifying Hyperspace Gospel on 'Art Angels'|work=Spin|date=November 10, 2015|access-date=November 10, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151112112114/http://www.spin.com/2015/11/review-grimes-art-angels/|archive-date=November 12, 2015|url-status=live}} synth-pop,{{cite magazine|first=Jessie|last=Morris|url=https://www.complex.com/music/2015/11/grimes-new-album-art-angels|title=Listen To Grimes' New Album 'Art Angels'|magazine=Complex|date=November 7, 2015|access-date=November 9, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117025048/http://uk.complex.com/music/2015/11/grimes-new-album-art-angels|archive-date=November 17, 2015|url-status=live}} dance-pop,{{cite magazine|first=Nicholas|last=Pendergast|url=https://newnoisemagazine.com/reviews/album-review-grimes-art-angels/|title=Album Review: Grimes – ‘Art Angels’|magazine=New Noise Magazine|date= November 16, 2015|access-date=January 5, 2025|archive-url=https://archive.today/20250105005520/https://newnoisemagazine.com/reviews/album-review-grimes-art-angels/|archive-date=January 5, 2025|url-status=live}} art pop,{{cite web|author=SCVSCV|url=http://www.tinymixtapes.com/music-review/grimes-art-angels|title=Grimes – Art Angels|work=Tiny Mix Tapes|access-date=November 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151122064428/http://www.tinymixtapes.com/music-review/grimes-art-angels|archive-date=November 22, 2015|url-status=live}} indie pop,{{cite web|first=Heather|last=Phares|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/art-angels-mw0002892937|title=Art Angels – Grimes|work=AllMusic|access-date=July 16, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160630063330/http://www.allmusic.com/album/art-angels-mw0002892937|archive-date=June 30, 2016|url-status=live}} and electropop.{{cite news|url=https://www.denverpost.com/2015/11/11/review-grimes-art-angels-is-an-ambitious-pop-oddity/amp/|title=Review: Grimes’ “Art Angels” is an ambitious pop oddity|newspaper=The Denver Post|date=April 19, 2016|access-date=January 5, 2025|archive-url=https://archive.today/20250105005022/https://www.denverpost.com/2015/11/11/review-grimes-art-angels-is-an-ambitious-pop-oddity/amp/|archive-date=January 5, 2025|url-status=live}} Rolling Stone described the album as a "[move toward] an off-kilter guitars-and-beats sound," and also stated that the album "uses rock sounds in a really different context."{{cite magazine|first=Brian|last=Hiatt|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/grimes-on-art-angels-follow-up-why-she-loves-tool-162756/|title= Grimes on 'Art Angels' Follow-Up, Why She Loves Tool|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=April 12, 2016|access-date=July 22, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410054248/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/grimes-on-art-angels-follow-up-why-she-loves-tool-162756/|archive-date=April 10, 2021|url-status=live}} Boucher produced and engineered all of the tracks on the album alone. She began using Ableton Live{{cite web|first=Art|last=Tavana|url=http://pitchfork.com/features/articles/9728-democracy-of-sound-is-garageband-good-for-music/|title=Democracy of Sound: Is Garageband Good For Music?|work=Pitchfork|date=September 30, 2015|access-date=October 30, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151028141515/http://pitchfork.com/features/articles/9728-democracy-of-sound-is-garageband-good-for-music/|archive-date=October 28, 2015|url-status=live}} after recording Visions entirely in GarageBand and also learned how to play the guitar, drums, keys, ukulele, and violin to explore new musical directions on Art Angels. Realizing it was "too much pressure" to pay per hour to work in a professional studio, the album was recorded by Boucher in her home studio in Los Angeles, California.{{cite magazine|first=Elias|last=Leight|url=http://www.thefader.com/2015/10/28/grimes-recording-process-future-music-magazine|title=Grimes Breaks Down Her Recording Process In Future Music Magazine|magazine=The Fader|date=October 28, 2015|access-date=May 9, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160508153142/http://www.thefader.com/2015/10/28/grimes-recording-process-future-music-magazine|archive-date=May 8, 2016|url-status=live}}
By 2014 Boucher had produced "hundreds of songs" for her next album, most of which were not included on Art Angels. She described the recording of these tracks as "this period where I had no way of dealing with anything, so I was writing these really depressing songs, and nothing was fun at all". Aside from the tracks being too gloomy, Boucher also rejected the tracks she had made during this time because they were not enough of a sonic departure from Visions. Boucher's 2014 single "Go", recorded during these sessions, was originally written for the Barbadian singer Rihanna; however, after Rihanna turned down the track, Boucher released it as a "surprise" under her Grimes alias. The negative response to the single from fans, who believed Boucher was "pandering to the radio", led media outlets to report that this was the reason she had started over the recording of her new album. Boucher stated this was false and commented that "Go" and the other tracks she had cut were not from a complete album; they were only songs which had not made it onto Art Angels. She later stated that she would consider releasing the archived material for free sometime in the future.
Release
On March 8, 2015, Boucher released a music video for the demo version of her song "Realiti" as a gift to her fans. "Realiti" was produced during the scrapped recording sessions for Art Angels and not intended to be included on the final version of her fourth album. Boucher stated that the demo version which she released was "not mixed or mastered" as she had "lost the [song's] Ableton file". Despite Boucher regarding the demo as "a bit of a mess", "Realiti" was well received by critics and fans, which led her to consider including a new version of the song on the final release of Art Angels.{{cite web|first=Zoe|last=Camp|url=http://pitchfork.com/news/58769-grimes-shares-video-for-previously-unheard-track-realiti/|title=Grimes Shares Video for Previously-Unheard Track "REALiTi"|work=Pitchfork|date=March 9, 2015|access-date=October 27, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150504125810/http://pitchfork.com/news/58769-grimes-shares-video-for-previously-unheard-track-realiti/|archive-date=May 4, 2015|url-status=live}}{{cite web|first=Alex|last=Hudson|url=http://exclaim.ca/music/article/grimes_delivers_new_album_update_hates_on_past_work|title=Grimes Delivers New Album Update and Hates on Her Past Work|work=Exclaim!|date=August 27, 2015|access-date=October 27, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151014061053/http://exclaim.ca/music/article/grimes_delivers_new_album_update_hates_on_past_work|archive-date=October 14, 2015|url-status=live}} When the track listing for Art Angels was announced, a new version of "Realiti" appeared on the CD and digital release and the demo version was included as a bonus track on the CD edition only.{{cite magazine|first=Colin|last=Joyce|url=http://www.spin.com/2015/10/grimes-flesh-without-blood-life-in-the-vivid-dream-video/|title=Grimes Shares Fantastical 'Flesh Without Blood/Life in the Vivid Dream' Video|magazine=Spin|date=October 26, 2015|access-date=October 27, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151027223436/http://www.spin.com/2015/10/grimes-flesh-without-blood-life-in-the-vivid-dream-video/|archive-date=October 27, 2015|url-status=live}}
Boucher shared the title and cover artwork for Art Angels on social media networks on October 19, 2015 and announced that a new music video would be released the following week.{{cite web|first=Evan|last=Minsker|url=http://pitchfork.com/news/61479-grimes-announces-art-angels-lp-shares-cover/|title=Grimes Announces Art Angels LP, Shares Cover|work=Pitchfork|date=October 19, 2015|access-date=October 19, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151020160207/http://pitchfork.com/news/61479-grimes-announces-art-angels-lp-shares-cover/|archive-date=October 20, 2015|url-status=live}} On October 26, 2015, Boucher revealed that her new album would be available digitally on November 6, 2015, with releases in physical formats on December 11 in the same year. To accompany the announcement, Boucher released her self-directed "Flesh Without Blood/Life in the Vivid Dream" music video, a digital single for "Flesh Without Blood" and individual artwork for each track on Art Angels.{{cite web|first1=Matthew|last1=Strauss|first2=Molly|last2=Beauchemin|url=http://pitchfork.com/news/61760-grimes-releases-flesh-without-bloodlife-in-the-vivid-dream-video-announces-art-angels-details/|title=Grimes Releases "Flesh without Blood/Life in the Vivid Dream" Video, Announces Art Angels Details|work=Pitchfork|date=October 26, 2015|access-date=October 27, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151028230257/http://pitchfork.com/news/61760-grimes-releases-flesh-without-bloodlife-in-the-vivid-dream-video-announces-art-angels-details/|archive-date=October 28, 2015|url-status=live}} "Scream" was released as a promotional single on October 29, 2015.{{cite web|first=Peter|last=Helman|url=http://www.stereogum.com/1840878/grimes-scream-feat-aristophanes/mp3s/|title=Grimes – "Scream" (Feat. Aristophanes)|work=Stereogum|date=October 30, 2015|access-date=November 12, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151113034213/http://www.stereogum.com/1840878/grimes-scream-feat-aristophanes/mp3s/|archive-date=November 13, 2015|url-status=live}}{{cite web|first1=Ryan|last1=Dieringer|first2=Kevin|last2=Korber|url=http://www.popmatters.com/post/grimes-scream-ft.-aristophanes-singles-going-steady/|title=Grimes – "Scream" ft. Aristophanes (Singles Going Steady)|work=PopMatters|date=November 6, 2015|access-date=November 12, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151112001325/http://www.popmatters.com/post/grimes-scream-ft.-aristophanes-singles-going-steady/|archive-date=November 12, 2015|url-status=live}} Boucher also directed a video for "Kill V. Maim" with her brother Mac Boucher which was released on January 19.{{Cite magazine|first=Suzy|last=Exposito|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/watch-grimes-gritty-video-for-kill-v-maim-20160119|title=Grimes Enlists Vampiric Cyberpunks for 'Kill V. Maim' Video|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=January 19, 2016|access-date=April 17, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160415182350/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/watch-grimes-gritty-video-for-kill-v-maim-20160119|archive-date=April 15, 2016|url-status=live}} "Kill V. Maim" was released on March 4, 2016 as the second single from Art Angels.{{cite magazine|url=https://diymag.com/2016/03/04/grimes-shares-kill-v-maim-remix-from-mindless-self-indulgences-little-jimmy-urine|title=Grimes shares 'Kill V. Maim' remix from Mindless Self Indulgence's Little Jimmy Urine|magazine=DIY|date=March 4, 2016|access-date=July 26, 2022}} On May 9, 2016, Boucher released another co-directed music video for "California", using an alternate mix of the song.{{Cite web|first=Amy|last=Phillips|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/65327-grimes-shares-california-video-watch/|title=Grimes Shares "California" Video: Watch|work=Pitchfork|date=May 9, 2016|access-date=July 26, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210002700/https://pitchfork.com/news/65327-grimes-shares-california-video-watch/|archive-date=February 10, 2018|url-status=live}} On October 5, 2016, Boucher released self-directed music videos for four songs from the album: "Butterfly", "World Princess Part II", "Scream", and "Belly of the Beat", as part of The Acid Reign Chronicles, a long form video project shot on her phone while on tour.{{cite web|first=Larry|last=Bartleet|url=https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/grimes-and-hana-s-seven-videos-are-yet-more-evidence-of-their-awesome-friendship-1188418|title=Grimes And Hana's Seven Videos Are Our New Friendship Goals|work=NME|date=October 6, 2016|access-date=July 21, 2022}}{{cite web|first=Madeline|last=Roth|url=https://www.mtv.com/news/o4n8q5/grimes-acid-reigns-chronicle-video-series|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722044427/https://www.mtv.com/news/o4n8q5/grimes-acid-reigns-chronicle-video-series|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 22, 2022|title=Grimes Drops Seven Whimsical Music Videos Shot Only On Cell Phones|work=MTV News|date=October 5, 2016|access-date=July 21, 2022}}{{cite magazine|first1=Ryan|last1=Reed|first2=Sarah|last2=Grant|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/watch-grimes-quirky-acd-reign-chronicles-video-series-w443586|title=Watch Grimes' Quirky 'Ac!d Reign Chronicles' Video Series|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=October 5, 2016|access-date=July 21, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170827235129/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/watch-grimes-quirky-acd-reign-chronicles-video-series-w443586|archive-date=August 27, 2017|url-status=live}} On February 2, 2017, Boucher released a music video for "Venus Fly", starring the song's featured artist Janelle Monáe along with Boucher, who also directed the video.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.thefader.com/2017/02/02/grimes-janelle-mones-venus-fly-video-tidal|title=Watch Grimes And Janelle Monáe's "Venus Fly" Video|magazine=The Fader|date=February 2, 2017|access-date=February 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180220033254/http://www.thefader.com/2017/02/02/grimes-janelle-mones-venus-fly-video-tidal|archive-date=February 20, 2018|url-status=live}}
Art Angels debuted at number one on Billboard{{'}}s Top Alternative Albums chart with first-week sales of 11,000 copies, earning Boucher her first number one on the chart.{{cite magazine|first=Kevin|last=Rutherford|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6769993/grimes-alternative-albums-art-angels|title=Grimes Snags First No. 1 on Alternative Albums With 'Art Angels'|magazine=Billboard|date=November 19, 2015|access-date=November 23, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151121221914/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6769993/grimes-alternative-albums-art-angels|archive-date=November 21, 2015|url-status=live}} As of February 2016, the album had sold 50,000 copies in the United States.{{cite magazine|first=Ed|last=Christman|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/business/6882901/grimes-first-signing-jack-antonoff-publishing-rough-company-sony-atv|title=Grimes Announced as First Signing to Jack Antonoff's Publishing Venture Rough Customer|magazine=Billboard|date=February 22, 2016|access-date=October 8, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161204114305/http://www.billboard.com/articles/business/6882901/grimes-first-signing-jack-antonoff-publishing-rough-company-sony-atv|archive-date=December 4, 2016|url-status=live}} The album also peaked at numbers two and 36 on the Independent Albums and Billboard 200 charts, respectively. The album debuted at number 31 on the UK Albums Chart, selling 2,964 copies in its first week.{{cite web|first=Tom|last=Pakinkis|url=http://www.musicweek.com/talent/read/official-airplay-analysis-elvis-sees-sales-increase-by-12-1-to-stay-atop-on-albums/063397|title=Official Airplay Analysis: Elvis sees sales increase by 12.1% to stay atop on albums|work=Music Week|date=November 13, 2015|access-date=August 27, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160827205130/http://www.musicweek.com/talent/read/official-airplay-analysis-elvis-sees-sales-increase-by-12-1-to-stay-atop-on-albums/063397|archive-date=August 27, 2016|url-status=live}} Upon the album's release on CD five weeks later, it re-entered the UK chart at number 59 with 4,193 copies sold.{{cite web|first=Alan|last=Jones|url=http://www.musicweek.com/analysis/read/official-charts-analysis-x-factor-misses-top-2-debut-for-the-first-time-ever/063696|title=Official Charts Analysis: X Factor misses Top 2 debut for the first time ever|work=Music Week|date=December 18, 2015|access-date=July 26, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180928211947/http://www.musicweek.com/analysis/read/official-charts-analysis-x-factor-misses-top-2-debut-for-the-first-time-ever/063696|archive-date=September 28, 2018|url-status=live}}
Critical reception
{{Album ratings
| MC = 88/100{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/art-angels/grimes|title=Reviews for Art Angels by Grimes|publisher=Metacritic|access-date=January 5, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240422193732/http://www.metacritic.com/music/art-angels/grimes|archive-date=April 22, 2024|url-status=live}}
| rev1 = AllMusic
| rev2 = The A.V. Club
| rev2Score = A−{{cite web|first=Corbin|last=Reiff|url=http://www.avclub.com/review/grimes-brings-horror-dance-floor-art-angels-227993|title=Grimes brings the horror to the dance floor on Art Angels|work=The A.V. Club|date=November 6, 2015|access-date=November 7, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151107093131/http://www.avclub.com/review/grimes-brings-horror-dance-floor-art-angels-227993|archive-date=November 7, 2015|url-status=live}}
| rev3 = The Daily Telegraph
| rev3Score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite web|first=Helen|last=Brown|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/what-to-listen-to/grimes-art-angels-album-review-weird-and-wonderful/|title=Grimes: Art Angels, album review: 'weird and wonderful'|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=November 24, 2015|access-date=July 16, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151209161625/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/what-to-listen-to/grimes-art-angels-album-review-weird-and-wonderful/|archive-date=December 9, 2015|url-status=live}}
| rev4 = Exclaim!
| rev4Score = {{rating|5|5}}{{cite web|first=Cam|last=Lindsay|url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/grimes-art_angels|title=Grimes Art Angels|work=Exclaim!|date=November 8, 2015|access-date=January 5, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240416110506/https://exclaim.ca/music/article/grimes-art_angels|archive-date=April 16, 2024|url-status=live}}
| rev5 = The Independent
| rev5Score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite web|first=Andy|last=Gill|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/grimes-art-angel-album-review-a6733261.html|title=Grimes, Art Angel – album review|work=The Independent|date=November 13, 2015|access-date=July 16, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160401013225/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/grimes-art-angel-album-review-a6733261.html|archive-date=April 1, 2016|url-status=live}}
| rev6 = The Line of Best Fit
| rev6Score = 6/10{{cite magazine|first=Charlotte|last=Krol|url=http://www.thelineofbestfit.com/reviews/albums/grimes-art-angels|title=Grimes plays fast and free with pop experiments on Art Angels|magazine=The Line of Best Fit|date=November 6, 2015|access-date=November 23, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151123145040/http://www.thelineofbestfit.com/reviews/albums/grimes-art-angels|archive-date=November 23, 2015|url-status=live}}
| rev7 = NME
| rev7Score = 4/5{{cite web|first=Barry|last=Nicolson|url=http://www.nme.com/reviews/grimes/16326|title=Grimes – 'Art Angels'|work=NME|date=November 6, 2015|access-date=November 7, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151108220748/http://www.nme.com/reviews/grimes/16326|archive-date=November 8, 2015|url-status=live}}
| rev8 = Pitchfork
| rev8Score = 8.5/10{{cite web|first=Jessica|last=Hopper|url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/21264-art-angels/|title=Grimes: Art Angels|work=Pitchfork|date=November 10, 2015|access-date=November 10, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160515192341/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/21264-art-angels/|archive-date=May 15, 2016|url-status=live}}
| rev9 = Rolling Stone
| rev9Score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{cite magazine|first=Jon|last=Dolan|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/grimes-art-angels-20151112|title=Art Angels|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=November 12, 2015|access-date=July 16, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160716125542/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/grimes-art-angels-20151112|archive-date=July 16, 2016|url-status=live}}
| rev10 = Spin
}}
Art Angels received widespread acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 88, based on 32 reviews. Corbin Reiff from The A.V. Club called it "slick and gritty, fun and funny, and horrifying and grotesque all at once" and said "it will also make you shake your ass like nothing else". He also highlighted the track "Kill V. Maim" as holding "the full weight of Grimes' abilities as both a producer and singer". In Billboard, Rob Tannenbaum praised Art Angels as "a marvel of meticulous, even obsessive home-studio recording, uncompromised by bandmates or collaborators".{{cite magazine|first=Rob|last=Tannenbaum|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/review/6754174/grimes-art-angels-album-review|title=Grimes Maintains Outsider Ethos But Yields to Mainstream Pull on 'Art Angels': Album Review|magazine=Billboard|date=November 9, 2015|access-date=November 9, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151112001357/http://www.billboard.com/articles/review/6754174/grimes-art-angels-album-review|archive-date=November 12, 2015|url-status=live}} Clash magazine's Maya Rose Radcliffe deemed it "the truest representation of Grimes we've heard yet: Art Angels is boundary pushing, it's listenable and it's Boucher's most ambitious and most consistent work to date" and commended the production of the album as the "one thing that does tie it all together".{{cite web|first=Maya Rose|last=Radcliffe|url=http://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/grimes-art-angels|title=Grimes – Art Angels|work=Clash|date=November 10, 2015|access-date=November 10, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151112180958/http://clashmusic.com/reviews/grimes-art-angels|archive-date=November 12, 2015|url-status=live}} Although referring to Art Angels as "simultaneously [Boucher's] most accessible and her least personal body of work", Consequence also said it exemplified her artistry, being "performative, maximalist, joyful, and broad".{{cite web|first=Sasha|last=Geffen|url=https://consequence.net/2015/11/album-review-grimes-art-angels/|title=Grimes – Art Angels|work=Consequence|date=November 9, 2015|access-date=November 9, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151203203125/http://consequenceofsound.net/2015/11/album-review-grimes-art-angels/|archive-date=December 3, 2015|url-status=live}}
DIY{{'}}s El Hunt found Art Angels "impossible to resist", possessing an "instant, limb-grabbing appeal".{{cite web|first=El|last=Hunt|url=http://diymag.com/2015/11/12/grimes-art-angels|title=Grimes – Art Angels|work=DIY|date=November 15, 2015|access-date=November 15, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151115085833/http://diymag.com/2015/11/12/grimes-art-angels|archive-date=November 15, 2015|url-status=live}} Cam Lindsay from Exclaim! said it was "worth every second of the wait" and hailed the album as "a complete record that's everything pop should be in 2015: utterly uncompromising, imaginative and, somehow, universally accessible".{{cite web|first=Cam|last=Lindsay|url=http://exclaim.ca/music/article/grimes-art_angels|title=Grimes Art Angels|work=Exclaim!|date=November 9, 2015|access-date=November 10, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151112025236/http://exclaim.ca/music/article/grimes-art_angels|archive-date=November 12, 2015|url-status=live}} Writing for NME, Barry Nicholson dismissed notions that Boucher had "sacrificed some of what made her seem so alien when 4AD debut Visions emerged" by "embracing the pop orthodoxy", and commented that "she's still laughing and not being normal, only this time, it's all the way to the bank". Reviewing for Pitchfork, Jessica Hopper deemed the album "evidence of Boucher's labor and an articulation of a pop vision that is incontrovertibly hers, inviting the wider world in", while calling Boucher "a human zeitgeist, redrawing all the binaries and boundaries by which we define pop music and forcing us to come along".
In a less enthusiastic review for The Observer, Kitty Empire stated "packed as it is with all this goodness, Art Angels fails to comprehensively blow your mind" and "ultimately, Grimes has not reinvented the pop wheel, she's just driven it off road a little". Similarly, The Line of Best Fit gave the album an average review and wrote that "on Art Angels, we hear that high art experimentation fall into mainstream territory with only fleeting moments of brilliance".
In an interview with Cultured magazine in April 2019, Grimes called the album "a piece of crap", stating: "I feel like people really misread it and it feels like a stain on my life."{{cite magazine|first=Khalila|last=Douze|url=https://www.culturedmag.com/grimes-claire-boucher-c/|title=The Artist Formerly Known As Grimes|magazine=Cultured Magazine|date=April 4, 2019|access-date=January 5, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241215010503/https://www.culturedmag.com/article/2019/04/04/grimes-claire-boucher-c|archive-date=December 15, 2024|url-status=live}}
=Year-end and decade-end lists=
Art Angels was voted by Robert Christgau the fifth best album of 2015 in his ballot for The Village Voice{{'}}s annual Pazz & Jop critics poll.{{cite web|url=http://www.villagevoice.com/pazznjop/critics/2015/robert-christgau-6593683|title=Ballots: Robert Christgau|work=The Village Voice|access-date=September 25, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160927071215/http://www.villagevoice.com/pazznjop/critics/2015/robert-christgau-6593683|archive-date=September 27, 2016|url-status=dead}}
Track listing
{{Track listing
| all_writing = and produced by Grimes, except where noted
| title1 = Laughing and Not Being Normal
| length1 = 1:48
| title2 = California
| length2 = 3:18
| title3 = Scream
| note3 = featuring Aristophanes
| length3 = 2:20
| title4 = Flesh Without Blood
| length4 = 4:25
| title5 = Belly of the Beat
| length5 = 3:26
| title6 = Kill V. Maim
| length6 = 4:06
| title7 = Artangels
| length7 = 4:07
| title8 = Easily
| length8 = 3:03
| title9 = Pin
| length9 = 3:32
| title10 = Realiti
| length10 = 5:07
| title11 = World Princess Part II
| length11 = 5:06
| title12 = Venus Fly
| note12 = featuring Janelle Monáe
| length12 = 3:46
| title13 = Life in the Vivid Dream
| length13 = 1:28
| title14 = Butterfly
| length14 = 4:13
| writer3 = {{hlist|Grimes|Pan Wei-Ju}}
| writer12 = {{hlist|Grimes|Monáe}}
| total_length = 49:57
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = CD edition bonus track
| title15 = Realiti
| note15 = demo
| length15 = 4:20
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Japanese edition bonus track
| title16 = Go
| note16 = BloodPop Remix
| length16 = 3:23
}}
;Notes
- "Laughing and Not Being Normal" is stylised in lowercase.
- "Scream" is stylised in all caps.
- "Realiti" is stylised as "REALiTi". It is excluded from vinyl pressings.
;Sample credits
- "Butterfly" contains a sample from "Penguin Dancer" co-written by Masayoshi Takanaka and Shu Suzuki.
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Art Angels.{{cite AV media notes |title=Art Angels |type=CD liner notes |author=Grimes |publisher=4AD |year=2015 |id=CAD3535CD}}
- Grimes – vocals, guitars, violin, production, engineering
- Mark "Spike" Stent – mixing
- Geoff Swan – mixing assistance
- Tom Coyne – mastering
- Randy Merrill – mastering
Charts
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
=Weekly charts=
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |
| scope="col"| Chart (2015–2016)
! scope="col"| Peak |
|---|
| {{album chart|Australia|30|artist=Grimes|album=Art Angels|rowheader=true|accessdate=November 18, 2015}} |
| {{album chart|Flanders|82|artist=Grimes|album=Art Angels|rowheader=true|accessdate=November 18, 2015}} |
| {{album chart|BillboardCanada|16|artist=Grimes|rowheader=true|accessdate=November 18, 2015}} |
| {{album chart|Netherlands|84|artist=Grimes|album=Art Angels|rowheader=true|accessdate=December 18, 2015}} |
| scope="row"| Greek Albums (IFPI){{cite web|url=http://www.ifpi.gr/charts_en.html|title=Official IFPI Charts: Top-75 Albums Sales Chart (Week: 7/2016)|work=IFPI Greece|access-date=February 29, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303165824/http://www.ifpi.gr/charts_en.html|archive-date=March 3, 2016|url-status=live}}
| 52 |
| {{album chart|Ireland|31|year=2015|week=46|rowheader=true|accessdate=November 18, 2015}} |
| {{album chart|IrelandIndependent|4|year=2015|week=46|rowheader=true|accessdate=February 29, 2016}} |
| scope="row"| Japanese Albums (Oricon){{cite web|url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/559615/products/1147722/1/ |script-title=ja:アート・エンジェルズ {{!}} Grimes|trans-title=Art Angels {{!}} Grimes|language=ja|publisher=Oricon|access-date=April 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181111044012/https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/559615/products/1147722/1/|archive-date=November 11, 2018|url-status=live}}
| 114 |
| {{album chart|New Zealand|28|artist=Grimes|album=Art Angels|rowheader=true|accessdate=November 18, 2015}} |
| {{album chart|Scotland|40|date=20151113|rowheader=true|accessdate=February 29, 2016}} |
| {{album chart|UK2|31|date=20151113|rowheader=true|accessdate=November 18, 2015}} |
| {{album chart|UKIndependent|6|date=20151113|rowheader=true|accessdate=February 29, 2016}} |
| {{album chart|Billboard200|36|artist=Grimes|rowheader=true|accessdate=November 18, 2015|refname=billboard200}} |
| {{album chart|BillboardAlternative|1|artist=Grimes|rowheader=true|accessdate=November 18, 2015}} |
| {{album chart|BillboardIndependent|2|artist=Grimes|rowheader=true|accessdate=November 19, 2015|refname=independent}} |
{{col-2}}
=Year-end charts=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |
| scope="col"| Chart (2016)
! scope="col"| Position |
|---|
| scope="row"| US Independent Albums (Billboard){{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2016/independent-albums|title=Independent Albums – Year-End 2016|magazine=Billboard|access-date=December 10, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200510164729/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2016/independent-albums|archive-date=May 10, 2020|url-status=live}}
| 34 |
{{col-end}}
Certifications
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=album|artist=Grimes|title=Art Angels|award=Silver|relyear=2015|certyear=2022|id=18284-5981-2|accessdate=August 12, 2022}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|noshipments=true|nosales=true|streaming=true}}
Release history
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
- {{Discogs master|type=album|910103}}
{{Grimes}}
{{Authority control}}