They've mashed together a bunch of sounds and influences but I'd hardly call the combination experimental. A 3 year old child isn't afraid toĮxperiment with crayons either but it doesn't glorify the sprawling colors of scribbled lines on the page. Up that there's very little cohesion and flow.įinally, you mention that the band is not afraid to experiment. Influences, but sadly they neither excel or dramatize either genre to any effect. You also mention a lot of the musical influences on the record, ranging from Caribbean, Folk and Eastern Truth is that it's a mediocre pop rock song hinged on the lead singer mumbling Gold a few times in aīombastic and iambic pentameter-esque flow. The way you describe Gold it sounds like a 9 minute prog rock epic that the world has never seen before. Well written review, but I disagree with many of your points. Let’s not discard a near miss as a complete failure after all, it’s the effort that matters the most. They may have tried to be too smart here, but at least they tried. They could have easily brought out an album that was a virtual photocopy of Night Visions, but they’ve gone for something else entirely, whilst still retaining some of the elements from Album #1 so as to not alienate their fans on a whole. These songs all have sing-along abilities and can be massively over in a stadium, but sprinkled in between are moments that can only be appreciated if one listens to this on his own. But, what they’ve shown here is a band that is not afraid to experiment, even when they are at their highest. With the success that Imagine Dragons had, one would have expected them to rest on their laurels and try to milk the popularity. Smoke + Mirrors isn’t a particularly classic album, but it’s a very spirited effort nevertheless. The album picks a frenetic pace with “Trouble” and “Summer” – which are two songs that can be loosely related to their previous work - before signaling things out with “Hopeless Opus” and “The Fall”. We then enter the mellow section of the album with “It Comes Back To You” and “Dream” providing a couple of easy listens. The 3 preceding tracks keep showing doses of variety displaying Caribbean, Folk and Eastern influences respectively. “I’m So Sorry” is an album highlight, and is elevated by Dan Reynolds’ excellent vocal work. “Smoke and Mirrors” also boasts of a variable time signature, and while it ultimately falls flat, it’s a laudable attempt at the very least. It’s the kind of thing that slips through the cracks, all the while quenching your thirst for something new. In fact, it’s mainstream in an almost revolting way.
“Gold” follows with another upbeat song, but the time signatures are unlike anything you’ll find in general mainstream music. It perhaps crams too much into a single piece, but it’s evident that Imagine Dragons weren’t going to be satisfied with their old selves. The song was eventually released as a single, but shows a desire to experiment, and that’s a trait shown throughout the album. The album starts with “Shots”, an upbeat song, which has Imagine Dragons’ signature catchy chorus, but that is where the comparison with their previous songs ends.
And that is what they have done with Smoke + Mirrors, their sophomore effort. It didn’t have much variety, but it showed that, if the band wanted to, it can really deliver. While Night Visions was propelled by the massive success of its singles, “It’s Time” and “Demons”, the album had enough promise within itself to make the listeners come back for more. But, then, a band like Imagine Dragons comes along, that possesses a lot of talent, but is still discarded by the “ideals” as being just another one of the pack. Ideal listeners are always looking for something “new”, and bands that are successfully able to reinvent themselves with each new release are few and far between. With that, though, come a great number of haters as well. There exist a million bands that are happy with recycling the same tunes over and over again, but are still loved by their fans. It’s a strange world we’re living in today. Review Summary: "Smoke + Mirrors" isn't a particularly classic album, but it's not piss poor either.