People scouring the interwebs for music by pianist Rachel Grimes, of post-rock band Rachel’s fame, or better yet, people looking for some grime, the U.K.-based hip hop genre that peaked a few years ago, are likely to suffer a small shock if they inadvertently stumble upon local artist Grimes. What they will experience does not sound like much they—or most people, for that matter—have heard before. Grimes is 22-year-old Claire Boucher’s stage name. She recently joined the excellent roster of Arbutus Records, a local label headed by 2010 Noisemaker Sebastian Cowan. In her short time with the label, the prolific Grimes has already put out two full-lengths: Geidi Primes, a limited-edition cassette, and Halfaxa, a gatefold CD. The dominant feature is her astounding vocals—ethereal and haunting glossolalia, like an alien siren song. These are generally enhanced with a variety of effects and set to very atmospheric syn­thesizer- and sample-driven tracks, crafted entirely by Grimes and ranging in style and tempo from gentle tropicalia to pulsating industrial beats. In her own words, the end result is “something escapist that’s dance-oriented and references industrial, R&B and organum [an early medieval vocal style].” ★ - Montreal Mirror, Jan. 6, 2011