Review Summary: Not as catchy as Visions, but stands with it.
Halfaxa, full of unconventional sounds and non-Western melodies, somehow attracted the attention of young people around the world. Obviously, factors other than novelty influenced its moderate success. Grimes, the artist behind the album, is young, vibrant, and Canadian; and has acquired a sizeable following for those reasons. She exhibits a peculiar freshness and she's accessible; something underground artists from the “East” aren't. But, is she just a girl channeling Eastern or, perhaps more appropriately characterized, worldly instrumentation vaguely akin to traditional music in the Mideast, South Asia, and Far East. She sometimes even goes beyond those regions, in “≈Ω≈Ω≈Ω≈Ω≈Ω≈Ω≈Ω≈Ω≈” it's as if she's imitating an American Indian drum ritual. These apparent imitations beg the question, is she another Western musician popularizing foreign beats and musical structures a la Deep Forest in the 90s. Or do these musicians, who some might say appropriate foreign music, add something completely new which is why they've received tremendous success internationally. Grimes certainly has. She's transformed unfamiliar sounds into something familiar enough to draw in listeners from all over.
First, she creates for a different audience. Traditional music, especially in the East, usually has religious or spiritual undertones. Someone who's atheist might enjoy Ravi Shankar, but at the end of the day, Ravi Shankar created and played in the pursuit of self-realization and hoped to help others following the same path. While Western music might've begun with a strong association to religious practices, it has since managed to dissociate from religion. When we think of Western music, we don't think of religion; we think of innovation and the avant-garde. However, even though artists from the East are progressive too, Eastern music has retained a traditional and therefore spiritual association. Consequently, Grimes' music relates to young people in a way that Eastern music cannot, purely because of its intention. Second,
Halfaxa is multi-dimensional. Grimes constructs the songs with equal attention to melody and harmony. She layers and loops superbly, keeping the album, which would've tired otherwise, interesting. She shows this particularly well in “Swan Song,” and to a lesser extent in “Favriel.” Third, her most unique tool, one that separates her from her contemporaries, is the way she uses her voice. You can't get mad at it. Beyonce and Mariah Carey have incredible voices, but after awhile, they become tiring and imposing; and if listened to long enough, annoying. Grimes' voice, however, is always soft, and pretty, and composed; it's never abrasive or in-your-face. Her voice only improves the interesting instrumentation in the album.
In
Halfaxa, Grimes seamlessly combines unique melodies, varied synths, and diverse beats. The album inspires a range of emotions. On a first listen, the album might seem monotonous or undynamic, and the songs might blend together, but if you listen to it again, they won't. They're so different and with repeated listens, new elements and dimensions inevitably arise. The first half, more mellow, complements a lively and uplifting second half with tracks such as “Devon” and the dreamy, string-filled “Dream Fortress.” Grimes' greatest asset is her willingness to experiment; she couples sounds that most wouldn't think go together. “Dragvandil” merges a bubbly, spacey sound with hymnal-esque vocals near the end of the song which is strange but somehow works. The contradiction in “Dragvandil” sums up
Halfaxa; it's beautifully bizarre.
Recommended Tracks: Outer, Heartbeats, Sagrad Прекрасный, and Devon
