LISTEN V. RATE: The Official GRIMES Rate (WINNER REVEALED!)

Welcome, Art Angels!

I wish I could begin this rate under more favorable circumstances (like having a new album to rate), but it is still my pleasure to welcome you to the Grimes Rate of Misbehaving (though y'all better behave and give Artangels the 10 it deserves!). I could talk about my personal journey of coming to be obsessed with this woman, but this thread is about you and all this badass music.

I think Grimes resonates so much because she almost seems like a popstar beamed in from the future. In this future, popstars are producers and have a "do it yourself" attitude, building their songs from the ground up with no imput from the usual suspects. In this future, popstars direct their own videos (cellphone camera in hand) and draw their own manga-inspired album artwork. In this future, popstars draw from the most unlikely media sources, more specifically the world of anime, manga, and video games (I can't be the only one that hears Super Mario in World Princess II and JRPG field music in Belly of the Beat). In this future, popstars lure hipsters into a false sense of security with lo-fi avant-garde records and then ambush them with a nuclear bomb of capital P POP (while we on PJ get our collective LIFE).

Part of Grimes's charm is that she is such an unlikely popstar---her first two albums seem almost anti-pop on face value, she doesn't particularly look like a popstar, she keeps a relatively low profile, and it's hard to find any televised live performances from her (lord how I've tried). But as Art Angels made so explicitly clear, she gets pop music better than most traditional popstars and she truly has a passion for it. And even those first two experimental albums (which I'm ready for y'all to drag) show that she understood the value of a beat and a hook.

When you pair those musical values with a penchant for the weird, the crazy, and the unconventional, you get a special artist who, as The Guardian said, has made some of the most "exciting pop music in the world." So let's get to rating this music! I can already hear some of you groan, but we will rate everything, from the Dune-inspired Geidi Primes to the album we all know and love, Art Angels (and some extras).



R.U.L.E.S

+Rate every song out of 10. Half marks are allowed. Even if you hate the first two albums, you must rate them if you want to participate.
+You can only give one song an 11/10. So choose wisely.
+You can change scores if you need to. Just shoot me a PM.
+I encourage you to send as much commentary as possible. It, not my amazing writing skills, is what makes the write-ups interesting.
+Don't misbehave and by that I mean don't fucking troll.



And, of course, the music...

GEIDI PRIMES (2010)



Caladan
Sardaukar Levenbrech
Zoal, Face Dancer
Rosa
Avi
Feyd Rautha Dark Heart
Gambang
Venus In Fleurs
Grisgris
Shadout Mapes
Beast Infection

HALFAXA (2010)


Outer
Intor/Flowers
Weregild
∆∆∆∆Rasik∆∆∆∆
Heartbeats
Sagrad Прекрасный
Dragvandil
Devon
Dreamfortress
World♥Princess
† River †
Swan Song
≈Ω≈Ω≈Ω≈Ω≈Ω≈Ω≈Ω≈Ω≈
My Sister Says The Saddest Things
Hallways
Favriel

DARKBLOOM (2011)


Orphia
Vanessa
Crystal Ball
Urban Twilight
Hedra

VISIONS (2012)


Infinite ♥ Without Fulfillment
Genesis
Oblivion
Eight
Circumambient
Vowels = Space And Time
Visiting Statue
Be A Body
Colour Of Moonlight (Antiochus)
Symphonia IX (My Wait Is U)
Nightmusic
Skin
Know The Way (Outro)

ART ANGELS (2015)


laughing and not being normal
California
SCREAM
Flesh Without Blood
Belly Of The Beat
Kill V. Maim
Artangels
Easily
Pin
Realiti
World Princess II
Venus Fly
Life In The Vivid Dream
Butterfly

EXTRAS


Go (featuring Blood Diamonds)
Medieval Warfare
Entropy (with Bleachers)
Phone Sex (with Blood Diamonds)
Take Me Away (with Bleachers)
Angel
Ambrosia
Song For Ric
Life After Death
Christmas Song
Christmas Song II (Grinch)
Dream World (with Majical Cloudz)

PM Friendly List:

Spoiler

Giedi Primes
Caladan
Sardaukar Levenbrech
Zoal, Face Dancer
Rosa
Avi
Feyd Rautha Dark Heart
Gambang
Venus In Fleurs
Grisgris
Shadout Mapes
Beast Infection
Halfaxa
Outer
Intor/Flowers
Weregild
∆∆∆∆Rasik∆∆∆∆
Heartbeats
Sagrad Прекрасный
Dragvandil
Devon
Dreamfortress
World♥Princess
† River †
Swan Song
≈Ω≈Ω≈Ω≈Ω≈Ω≈Ω≈Ω≈Ω≈
My Sister Says The Saddest Things
Hallways
Favriel
Darkbloom
Orphia
Vanessa
Crystal Ball
Urban Twilight
Hedra
Visions
Infinite ♥ Without Fulfillment
Genesis
Oblivion
Eight
Circumambient
Vowels = Space And Time
Visiting Statue
Be A Body
Colour Of Moonlight (Antiochus)
Symphonia IX (My Wait Is U)
Nightmusic
Skin
Know The Way (Outro)
Art Angels
laughing and not being normal
California
SCREAM
Flesh Without Blood
Belly Of The Beat
Kill V. Maim
Artangels
Easily
Pin
Realiti
World Princess II
Venus Fly
Life In The Vivid Dream
Butterfly
Extras
Go (featuring Blood Diamonds)
Medieval Warfare
Entropy (with Bleachers)
Phone Sex (with Blood Diamonds)
Take Me Away (with Bleachers)
Angel
Ambrosia
Song For Ric
Life After Death
Christmas Song
Christmas Song II (Grinch)
Dream World (with Majical Cloudz)

Deadline extended: Votes are due on May 9th.

Grimes already has had a hard year, what with the drama with her label, so I must ask that you

Spoiler

don't fuck it up.

 

THE LEADERBOARD

1. Kill V. Maim-9.972222222
2. Realiti-9.833333333
3. World Princess II-9.638888889
4. Butterfly-9.611111111
4. Oblivion-9.611111111
6. Flesh Without Blood-9.527777778
7. Pin-9.416666667
8. Genesis-9.388888889
9. Venus Fly-9.194444444
10. Go-8.833333333
11. Vanessa-8.805555556
12. Artangels-8.666666667
12. Be A Body-8.666666667
14. California-8.5
15. Belly Of The Beat-8.444444444
16. Life In The Vivid Dream-8.361111111
17. Nightmusic-8.25
18. Vowels=Space and Time-8.166666667
18. Crystal Ball-8.166666667
20. Circumambient-8.138888889
20. Dreamfortress-8.138888889
22. Skin-8.111111111
22. Rosa-8.111111111
24. Phone Sex-8.027777778
24. Easily-8.027777778
26. Symphonia IX (My Wait Is U)-7.833333333
27. Entropy-7.666666667
28. Ambrosia-7.5
29. Sagrad Прекрасный-7.444444444
30. My Sister Says The Saddest Things-7.416666667
31. Visiting Statue-7.333333333
32. Colour of Moonlight (Antiochus)-7.305555556
33. laughing and not being normal-7.25
34. Infinite ♥ Without Fulfillment-7.166666667
35. Avi-7.138888889
36. Angel-7
37. Weregild-6.972222222
37. Caladan-6.972222222
39. Swan Song-6.916666667
40. Heartbeats-6.888888889
40. Feyd Rautha Dark Heart-6.888888889
42. Know The Way (Outro)-6.861111111
43. Devon-6.777777778
44. World♥Princess-6.694444444
45. Medieval Warfare-6.638888889
46. Eight-6.611111111
46. Urban Twilight-6.611111111
48. SCREAM-6.527777778
49. Intor/Flowers-6.416666667
50. Zoal, Face Dancer-6.361111111
51. Life After Death-6.333333333
52. Venus in Fleurs-6.305555556
53. Dream World-6.25
54. Sardaukar Levenbrech-6.111111111
55. Favriel-6.083333333
56. Song For Ric-6.055555556
57. Grisgris-6
58. Take Me Away-5.944444444
59. † River †-5.861111111
60. Beast Infection-5.75
61. ∆∆∆∆Rasik∆∆∆∆-5.638888889
62. Gambang-5.611111111
63. ≈Ω≈Ω≈Ω≈Ω≈Ω≈Ω≈Ω≈Ω≈-5.472222222
64. Shadout Mapes-5.277777778
65. Dragvandil-5.083333333
66. Christmas Song II (Grinch)-5
67. Hallways-4.972222222
68. Hedra-4.888888889
69. Outer-4.777777778
70. Orphia-4.638888889
71. Christmas Song-4.611111111

ALBUM LEADERBOARD
ART ANGELS-8.783730159
VISIONS-7.957264957
EXTRAS-6.655092593
DARKBLOOM-6.622222222
GIEDI PRIMES-6.428030303
HALFAXA-6.347222222​

 

VOTERS​

@Raichu
@japanbonustrack
@Hurricane Drunk
@Xanax
@Cutlery
@Untouchable Ace
@Earth Intruders
@Satyress
@HappyBirthday
@caladan
@Trouble in Paradise
@enjoy
@Mirwais Ahmadzaï
@constantino
@happiestgirl
@Sanctuary
@Posh Spears
@Remorque

 

Oh yes. I know we stan Art Angels but y'all better not do Visions wrong.

 

Your adorable host will not be doing Visions wrong. There's at least 3 10s on that album.

 

Will put a PM friendly list of songs up later today!

 

I adore Visions and Art Angels pretty much equally, so I better see the former well represented x
Halfaxa has my fave song from her tho

​

 

Grimes is my favorite solo artist, plain and simple.

@Raichu: You forgot tons of extra songs like Entropy, Phone Sex, Voignamir, David, Take Me Away, Fifteen Minutes To, Angel, Ambrosia, Song For Ric, Life After Death, Black Hair, Fragments of the Future, Saturn Princess, and so on.

 

Visions is

Spoiler

not so secretly

her best album.

 

Thanks! Will add these later today.

 

Cool. Also there's this issue with REALiTi: there are 2 main versions (demo aka video version and album version). Should the demo be considered a separate song? Those versions are significantly different.

 

I will decide on this before I post the other extras. It might actually be fun to see where the two versions end up.

 

Shame that this amazing song titled David* will remain forever underrated because it doesn't even have an official studio version:

A fan tried to make a studio version:

* David is about a close friend of Grimes that commited suicide in 2008. Previously, she wanted to start a band with him.

 

David, MSSTST and World ❤️ Princess are the death introspective SONGS trinity

I at the very least like most of these, but Entropy is kind of grating and Phone Sex is nightmare inducing (not in a good way)
Ambrosia is legendary!

 

Added the released extras. Didn't add unreleased extras but I did add the Reality demo for the kiis. How the hell did I not know about all those Visions bonus tracks?

 

Also ddd @ the fact Pynk will be released during the course of the rate, poor that

 

Let's say that the total duration of all various Grimes songs I have (including remixes) is over 3 hours. Also Grimes did some special live versions of some her songs that could be considered separate songs. e.g. This fantastic banger (Be a Body live at Glastonbury 2016). It's really amazing.



PS: Please add Christmas Song II (Grinch) too. It's a really fun song + video.

 

That's exactly what I will be doing, so thank you for running this.

 

I yelped when I saw this thread. This and the Charli rate happening at the same time, my poor heart...

Also just my opinion, but I feel like the two versions of Realiti shouldn't be rated separately, or else neither version will make it as far as the song deserves.

Side note: Visions better not be done wrong.

 

This is a good point. The ratings will be spread out in 2 and overall the song will lose significantly. Maybe people should rate whatever REALiTi version they want but it should be counted only for one song.