Eleven Songs of Summer

Well, gang, it’s back to school time in this corner of the world.  While the Summer of ’16 was short around these parts,  it surely was sweet.

It was a summer of rain, and summer storms, of heartbreaking headlines and political jousting. It was a summer of music festivals, and bangin’ new jams, of Comicon 2016 and the SDCCTWD panel, and the premiere showing of the TWD S7 official trailer:

https://youtu.be/SmUz88zoIg0

It was a summer of glitter wars, and Neffrey (or Jorman, or Norman Dean Morgan, or whatever amalgamation name you prefer to use when referring to our favorite new bad-biker-boys-wearing-black-bromance of Norman Reedus & Jeffrey Dean Morgan ❤️❤️)

<I don’t care what you call it, just keep that shit coming, fellas. Hot, handsome, heartfelt & hardcore, just the way we like it, please and thank you.)

For me, it was a summer of highs, and lows, of growing pains, making strides,  breaking patterns, emotional landmines, and bullets (some dodged, some not).

My abridged summer was low carb, high-impact, low-intensity (and high blood-alcohol content). It was a summer of bumper crops, and bangin’ jams, of homemade hot pepper sauces, and  sleeping in.

It was a summer of work, and play, and more work. It was a summer of bingewatching long-awaited new seasons and new summer cult sensations. It was a summer of saying hello, and saying goodbye, to old and new favorite characters, and, thankfully, some characters we really couldn’t fucking wait to get rid of.

❤️💔❤️💔❤️💔

We celebrated the world champions of the Rio Olympics 2016, and we made the fun while the sun shone.

We even got a new epic post out of the deal:

https://barnfullawalkers.com/2016/04/05/the-walking-dead-season-6-ep-16-last-day-on-earth/

To celebrate this epic Summer of ’16, may I present my summer slideshow, a d my playlist, Eleven Songs Of Summer. ❤️❤️



Eleven Songs Of Summer ❤️1️⃣1️⃣

Summer of ’16 Album Series: Grimes, “Art Angels”

 

grimes

It may prove difficult to characterize Grimes’ musical style in less than 5 words: “electronica-synth-dream-pop, multilayered with frequent infusions of industrial, goth, baroque, darkwave, blended with vocal effects that range from ethereal to nightmarish, and interwoven on top of elemental R&B, hip-hop, classical, pop, rock, and world music foundations” is the best I can come up with in the moment.

Grimes herself has described her style of music to be “ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) music,” citing a range of influences from Cocteau Twins to Aphex Twin to Nine Inch Nails to Christina Aguilera.  

Born Claire Elise Boucher in Vancouver in 1988, this young singer/songwriter/producer/visual artist began making music while studying neuroscience and Russian literature at McGill University in Montreal, staging shows at an old textile factory that she and her friends dubbed La Synthèse.  

As her musical project, Grimes, became her primary passion and focus, Boucher began skipping classes, which ultimately led to her expulsion from McGill.

Not to be deterred, Grimes continued creating, and collaborating, on various musical projects, and the scene that spawned La Synthèse eventually founded Arbutus Records, the label which released Grimes first two albums, “Geidi Prime” and “Halfaxa” in 2010.

Grimes’ third album, “Visions,” was released in 2012, with two singles, “Genesis” and “Oblivion,” receiving both widespread critical acclaim and a worldwide listening audience.

In November of 2015, Grimes released her latest, and most popular album to date, “Art Angels,” first as a digital release, then followed by physical releases. The album features Grimes’ own artwork on the cover, as well as hit singles, “Kill V. Maim,” “Flesh Without Blood,” and “California.”

Upon its release, “Art Angels” was met with highest critical acclaim, but the album initially was received with a mixed fan response, as its unique sound and atypical vocal styles were somewhat of a departure of her earlier works, or really, a departure of anything anyone had ever done, or heard, before.

Quickly enough, however, we all became hooked on the sound, and now we can’t get enough of that ethereal voice, warped through Alvin and the Chipmunks amphetamine style-autotone, singing so sweetly the stuff of nightmares…all at once, it’s disturbing, energizing, intoxicating, and highly, highly addictive.

Grimes’ musical style in one word? Visionary.

So, what the hell are we waiting for?

Gimme my fix, man!

❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ Have fun, kids.

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 Happy to add this latest Grimes track, which dropped the very day this post did.  

Expect to see it again in future playlist(s). ❤️