Claire Boucher’s ascendant star has burst into a rainbow-dyed supernova since the release of her 4AD debut Visions this year – Grimes influences may be worn on her sleeve, but the synthesis of source material into something strident, confident, and charismatic stands out like a pink-haired art student at a college football game. The TD DNA Test results chart some of the most dominant genes in her pool.
The Labelmates
It’s probably the obvious answer, but Cocteau Twins – though I’m just starting to realize how big the Pixies were for me. I probably liked the Pixies more in high school. Most of the bands on 4AD are bands I liked in high school and were a big influence on me. I think that even though there’s a huge difference between what I do and they do, that they’re more of a reference than an influence.
The Family Influence
Probably some shitty country song (or George Michael. My dad was obsessed with George Michael). I really, really love Patsy Cline. I spent a lot of my childhood staying with my grandparents, and they’re both obsessed with Patsy Cline. They have everything she’s ever released. She’s really seminal for me. I’m definitely not trying to tell stories, I’m more abstract, but the real hyper-emotional state of country music is something I can relate to. All her songs are heartbreaking – well, all the best ones. I always liked how raw they are, and how simple they are.
The Recent Masterpiece
Pretty definitively, Panda Bear’s Person Pitch. I remember listening to that record, and having this eureka moment. It’s the simplest thing ever, he’s literally just making a loop and singing a vocal line over it, changing the vocal line for a difference between verse and chorus. That was a lightning bolt moment – I don’t think I sound like Animal Collective at all, but the way I make music is similar. Panda’s source material is important to me too. I’m really interested in Joe Meek, all these early producers and their influence on the rise of teen music. I like mechanical music, formulaic music, and the idea of songwriters who are just really great songwriters, and that’s all they do. In ways I feel there’s this destructive quest for authenticity these days were the artist has to write everything, sing everything, cover all the bases, but it’s never been like that until recently.
The Local Artist
There were bands that I used to go see live all the time like The Mutators and especially Dandi Wind. New music was always more of a live thing in Vancouver, there was a real cool art-noise-punk thing going on. Dandi Wind you have to look up though – she’s unbelievable. She never got that famous, but she should be famous. Around Grade 9 or 10 I made a bunch of friends older than me, and they started bringing me to Dandi Wind shows. Her shows are insane, really performative and crazy, she has a really strong stage presence. You should watch some live footage.
The Teen Crush
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94tjtiCdzuY
Portrait of An American Family by Marilyn Manson was big for me. And Mud by Tool. Tool is one of the coolest bands that were not mainstream – you can make fun of them, but I listened to them a year ago and thought, “woah, this is actually really interesting music”, even it’s sometimes lyrically a bit silly. But they’re a high-calibre band of that nature, and I would say a lot of people, in my age group anyway, are secretly influenced by them. I’m really into rap, too, but particularly 90s rap. That Jedi Mind Tricks album with name I’m never able to say. Psycho Social Chemical something something something.
The Eye Candy
I usually watch movies when I paint. My two favourite artists are Charles Burns and Hieronymous Bosch. Stylistically, I’m really into super-clean comic book orientated stuff, and I like working with brushes more for the fluidity and movement, but as far as content and imagery goes, Bosch is it for me. I love how scary his stuff is, scary, and heavenly. As for Burns, well, Black Hole is just such a beautiful book.
Grimes plays this year’s Forbidden Fruit festival, which you should probably go to.
Words: Daniel Gray
