In thinking of adjectives to describe Grimes’ music, the only words coming to mind and staying in mind are ethereal and formless. If that isn’t enough description for you, then here goes: Grimes is a synth based electro pop with its roots in, as her Facebook page puts it, punk ethos meeting pop musical designs. Claire Boucher is the voice behind Grimes and her echoing, and almost youthful sounding, voice has this odd quality of being both soothing and unsettling at the same time and it is this, combined with superior production and incredible lyrics that make “Oblivion” of all her songs, so indicative of Grimes’ style.
“Oblivion”separates itself chiefly from the other music of Grimes’ genre by being primarily about the vocalist and the manipulation of the Boucher’s voice to create almost tangible rollercoasters of vocal sound. By this I mean that I major portion of the song is based on Boucher’s waveringly light voice singing its many “oooo”s and “lalalaa”s while simultaneously adding to the overall instrumental aspect of the song. In the middle almost intermission section of the song, the singing of one beat over and over again ultimately culminates in the breaking into a new rhythmic singing which brings us back to the song’s chorus. In singing this song, you can’t help but to sing along to those wonderful ooohs and aaahhs as well as every lyric. I was introduced to this song some time ago and I cannot tell you how many times I have sung to myself the choral line “see you in a dark night” amidst many a “lalala”. The sheer cyclical element of the musicality of this song makes it one of those songs that you can have playing in the background of every walk, every jog, every meal, and still not get tired of it.
As I write this review, an additional adjective comes to mind: infectious. When first listening to this song, I did not at all like it or Grimes’ style. However, after hearing it 4 or 5 times more, I was hooked and am now listening to this song almost every day. “Oblivion” so reminiscent of the feeling one gets when spinning around and staring up at the sky that it’s hard not to like the way it transports you to a place of serene synthesizers and drawn out lyrical notes. I would also encourage those who like this song and this feel to listen to artists like Lykke Li or The Knife (both Swedish, oddly enough) who are experts alongside Grimes in creating an electronic music experience that truly is ethereal. “Oblivion” is off Grimes’ most recent album, Visions, which came out last year. She’s currently playing at a variety of festivals, including most recently Coachella, and will continue to do so throughout the summer in America and Scandinavia so kids: check the tour dates!!