"An astounding record." - The Observer
"A glitchy shimmering dance record." - MOJO (4/5)
"13 perfect moments" - NME (8/10 - Album of the Week)
"Visions gestures skyward and beyond." - Pitchfork (8.5 - Best New Music)
"You'll have to search long and hard to find a more original and distinctive album this year." - Q (4/5)
"Fit to burst with bone-bending synths, insistent beats and a sometimes shrill vocal that manages to both charm and unsettle." - The Guardian (4/5)
"Easily Ms. Boucher's best work and one of the most impressive albums of the year so far." - New York Times

Grimes' first record for 4AD, Visions, was released back in March, debuting in the Billboard Top 100 and offering just a hint at the incredible year that lay ahead.

For those not up to speed, Grimes is the work of Claire Boucher and is a project that has gained notoriety since its inception back in early-2010. Visions is her fourth release in less than two years and countless shows have been performed in this time - many more were to come in 2012.

For Visions Boucher drew on the arts of 2D, performance, dance, video and sound, weaving them all together to strong rhythmic effect, incorporating influences as wide as Enya, TLC and Aphex Twin, whilst drawing from genres like New Jack Swing, IDM, New Age, K-pop, Industrial and glitch. The result was a record that was both otherworldly and futuristic. Whether wearing Givenchy, Celine or her own creations, Boucher has been shot by some of the best photographers in the world, adorning the front of too many magazines to mention - seven alone in the UK. Musically, visually, Grimes was inescapble this year.

Visions position at the top of many end of year charts was telling of the album's cultural reach, the zenith of which was seen with the paradigm-shifting videos for 'Genesis' (below) and 'Oblivion'. Overseen by Claire herself, they've garnered over 9m views collectively and positioned Grimes, quiet simply, as the zeitgeist of 2012.

And yet, as the title of perhaps her best known track suggests, this is still just the beginning.

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