Unfortunately, however, in multiple songs his vocals were overpowered by the instruments, or the two simply did not sound satisfying together, as they have previously. It is evident that he experimented with different vocal styles in the production of “Smoke + Mirrors,” mostly with successful results. One enjoyable aspect of the album was Reynold’s voice, which is pleasant to listen to and compliments the musicality of the band nicely. It is evident that they are still experimenting, however, so the band should not necessarily be penalized for this factor, although it is somewhat off-putting. The range of musical styles resembled a hodgepodge compilation of uncertainty. Although Imagine Dragons are considered “rock,” only a few songs seemed to actually fit this genre label.
Instrument-wise, the sound of the album is very inconsistent. we are going to do a video commentary on the album sometime in the next couple days, so stand by. Imagine Dragons are anticipated to release video commentary in the near future, which may aid in explaining the lyrics and overall inspiration behind the album. While there is nothing wrong with a darker album, “Smoke + Mirrors” is a surprising transition from Imagine Dragon’s previous album, which contained more optimistic feel-good songs such as “On Top of the World.” This near-ceaseless lyrical negativity puts “Smoke + Mirrors” back a step in my eyes, contrary to Reynold’s comment that it’s a “step in the right direction for the band.” In multiple tracks, including “I’m So Sorry,” Reynolds ambiguously apologizes and asks forgiveness for “everything done.”
In addition to the album’s negativity, a constant theme of the “Smoke + Mirrors” is lead singer Dan Reynolds begging for forgiveness. I was greatly mistaken however, greeted with the opening lines, “I’m a reckless mistake, I’m a cold night’s intake.” After listening to almost the entire album, and encountering a song titled “Polaroid,” I thought I was in for a more positive track regarding the well-loved camera. Song after song contained morose lyrics that were paired with overpowering instruments. Songs like “Dream,” whose title sounds chipper and enticing, contains lyrics such as “ life ain’t what it seems, oh everything’s a mess.” The lyrics from this album are consistently bleak, and left me feeling despondent. Released February 17th by Interscope Records, the album is a step down from their debut album “Night Visions.” Also reclaiming a prestige ranking is Hozier, back in tenth place after a few weeks in the teens, with 40,000 units moved.Imagine Dragon’s sophomore album, “Smoke + Mirrors,” is overly-somber lyrically and sounds uncertain instrumentally. After Trainor comes Nicki Minaj, whose “Pinkprint” returns to the top 10 in ninth place after spending last week at No. This small surge is likely the result of the band’s Academy Awards performance Sunday night, which beat out Lady Gaga for the evening’s most Shazamed performance.Ĭoming in eighth is Meghan Trainor’s “Title” with 44,000 units moved, a 39% dip from her No. 7 spot, up from 10th place last week, with 47,000 units moved. But despite their top-10 status, both gentlemen still suffered drops this week, with Smith dropping 56% from the chart’s third place and Sheeran slipping 42% from No. 5 with 81,000 units and Sam Smith’s “In the Lonely Hour” at No. The 2015 Grammy winners continue to hold strong in the top 10, with Ed Sheeran’s “X” coming in at No. This dip mirrors the box office trend of the film it accompanies, with the “Fifty Shades” film making only $23.2 million over the weekend (down 73% from its massive $85.1 million debut). The album, which features cuts from Beyonce, Ellie Goulding and The Weeknd, dropped 36% this week with 165,000 units sold. 3 after debuting right behind Drake last week. 1 spot for the record-breaking “1989.” With Imagine Dragons in the mix, Swift is now slumming it in the chart’s fourth spot, moving just 93,000 units in the past week, down 26%.Īnother holdover from charts past is the popular soundtrack to “Fifty Shades of Grey,” which has slipped to No. Drake’s moment on top was also the result of a clash of kings of sorts, with his debut knocking Taylor Swift out of her No.