The night started with Oakland, California native, Sayer, whose performance I was unfortunately only able to catch part of. For the part of the set I did see I was in awe of the way his soundscapes seemed to completely fill the space around you. The crowd also seemed to be quite into it, which isn’t always the case for openers in the Iowa EDM scene.

Sayer was followed up by the legendary Yheti, who is just an odd dude that you can’t help but love. Not to mention he makes bad ass music. On the night of the show G Jones sent out a tweet in regards to Yheti stating

“Yheti is the truth. Carving his own lane is an understatement”

After watching his set, I must agree. There is something about the way Yheti sculpts his sound that seems incredibly unique. At some points during his set he would be playing a slower, experimental tune but was able to transition so effortlessly into heavy, grimy dub. The guy is incredible. I was nearly on the rail for his set so I had a great view of him and the passion he puts into his music was very apparent. I went into the night excited to see him, but I left with a whole new appreciation for him and his music.

G Jones came on just after midnight. He performed multiple tracks from his recently released EP Visions. He also of course played one of my personal favorites Mind Tricks, his track with Bassnectar. Throughout his set he talked on the mic a minimal amount of times and also played hardly any remixes of over played songs, both of which were appreciated.

I also was impressed with his consistently high energy throughout the set, he was constantly bouncing around and getting into his music. In another tweet G Jones sent out the night of this show he stated

“imo [in my opinion] challenging an audience with something unfamiliar is important in ways that aren’t immediately apparent”.

His dystopian like tunes and conceptual beats did just that. This wasn’t just like any typical heavy bass set, it was one of a kind.

I will be seeing G Jones again this summer when he headlines Thursday night at Bonnaroo. I’ve been told G Jones is a master at keeping all of his sets one of a kind, so hopefully this will hold true. I’m also looking forward to experiencing one of his performances in a festival atmosphere versus a small venue. If given the chance everyone should attend a G Jones show, after his show at Blue Moose I can confidently say he will not disappoint.

Music by these artists can be found here: G Jones – Yheti – Sayer

The post Show Review: G Jones @ The Blue Moose Tap House 3/02/2017 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Move over, Sailor Moon. There’s a new anime magical girl in town and she is taking names and giving zero f**** about your ideas of a female pop star, or just a pop star, or just an artist in general. This is Grimes we’re talking about, and welcome to the technicolor, out of this universe world of Art Angels. 

Let’s back up a moment. A native of Vancouver, British Columbia, Grimes (born Claire Boucher) started gaining traction and attention for her homemade music on indie music blogs while she was attending college to study neuroscience. Ultimately expelled because of her lack of attendance attributed to her progressive dive into the soundscapes she had become so enraptured with, Grimes released two albums (one of which, Geidi Primes, heavily referenced the science fiction novel classic Dune) before signing onto the record label 4AD with a recording contract.

Sharing a label with such acts as Bon Iver, Camera Obscura, and other front runners of the experimental pop genre such as Purity Ring, Grimes had immense amounts of hype to live up to as her major label debut, Visions, neared its eminent release. When it hit shelves in the winter months of early 2012, Visions was met with near critical acclaim: “ambitious”, “inventive”, and “intoxicating” are just a few of the key words used to describe Grimes’ watershed album. Deftly melding dream pop, ’80s influences, synthwave, and the ridiculously titled witch house genre, Visions and its singles “Genesis” and “Oblivion” continued to gain praise. “Oblivion” was selected by Pitchfork Media as the best song of the decade so far.

Despite all of this, though, Grimes seemingly disappeared.

Having dealt with internet and press haters, Grimes scrapped an entire album’s worth of material that was constructed around the sound of her under-appreciated hit “Go,” and withdrew from the media and blog spotlight for close to three years. Despite this, Grimes has returned triumphantly with Art Angels, and let me tell you, all the time waited was worth it.

Taking cues from the ’90s, like she did with the ’80s for Visions, Grimes crafts a collection of songs that feel cohesive, engaging, and alternatively beautiful and challenging. Garage rock guitars are now spliced into the DNA of most of the tracks. A sense of grungy urgency carries the songs as they race through highs and lows, synths grounded by the more organic sounds Grimes utilizes. While the songs aren’t conventionally structured, they do fit into a more pop-like feel.

All the while, the genre is complemented by our magical anime girl’s fantastic vocals: they soar to effervescent heights (bubbly and bright on the title track and “World Princess, Pt. II) and huskier, subtle tones (the chorus of album highlight and first single “Flesh Without Blood” and shining moments on “Belly of the Beat”).

Despite this accessibility, though, Grimes isn’t afraid to throw the curve-balls that we’ve come to know (and love) her for: early track “Scream” features a Taiwanese rapper nearly exclusively, except for Grimes’ own screams acting as breaks between the rapid fire verses. Album centerpiece “Kill V. Maim”, while a downright banger on the surface, “[is] written from the perspective of Al Pacino in The Godfather Pt 2. Except he’s a vampire who can switch gender and travel through space”, according to the singer, and she’s still somehow able to pull it off effortlessly.

On my first listen of Art Angels, I didn’t like it as much as Visions. Dark and swirling and often times menacing, Visions swathed itself in monochromes and dreams and science-fiction inspiration. If there could be an anime equivalent to it (as Grimes is known to love anime), the philosophical and post-apocalyptic Neon Genesis Evangelion comes to mind. Art Angels, however, works in brighter hues and dance-floor aspirations while still managing to be subversive of the pop genre. Art Angels is the Kill la Kill (an excellent series that critiques and homages magical girl anime) of the audio world. Grimes has created two exemplary and subversive albums, all on her own terms.

Grimes is the pop auteur of the year, and Art Angels is an experience you won’t want to miss.

Grade: A-

Key Tracks: “Flesh Without Blood”, “Belly of the Beat”, “Kill V. Maim”, “REALiTi”

Art Angels can be listened to on Spotify here.

The post Album Review: “Art Angels” by Grimes appeared first on KRUI Radio.