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Visions

Grimes
4AD

Mar 14, 2012 at 5:00 am

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Delay (or echo) is a studio effect usually added in post-production to emulate a sense of space in a final mix. Its considerable use on Visions, the third album from Grimes, is unfortunately analogous with the impression of hollowness throughout the record. While it is clear that Grimes has a lot of good ideas and is taking her influences from a rich palate of sounds, notably the Cocteau Twins and Kraftwerk, the songs fall short of expectation by too often reverting back to a formula. Her impressive, versatile voice is lost amid a sonic wash — basically a pudding that’s been resolutely over-egged with processing. It feels as though Grimes became concerned about the rawness of the beats and synths while making the record, and hastily tried to soften her sound. It’s a shame, because with a more subtle approach, the album could have more favorably represented this talented and usually very interesting artist.