The Spring 2020 Music Room
Grimes describes Miss Anthropocene (Crystal Math Music) as her “final earth album.” The way the spritely former Montrealer Claire Boucher tells it, the planet might not be around long enough for her to make another. On her dystopian new record, she plays the part of a singing supervillain who embodies climate change, a sort of vengeful Pachamama who blasts ice caps and starts wildfires while chanting “This is the sound of the end of the world” over hyperactive throbs of techno. If these are anthems for the apocalypse-anxiety generation, at least the kids will go out dancing. The raver “Violence” pulses with bass and sci-fi synths before giving way to the shapeshifting stunner “4ÆM,” which warps at light speed from slinky Middle Eastern melodies to driving drum and bass. Elsewhere, the goofily “Wonderwall”-ish “Delete Forever” and the grungy “You’ll miss me when I’m not around” both ...