“Smoke + Mirrors” succumbs to overdone experimentation

By Jessica Miller
Staff Writer

Although change is often good, too much experimentation can be detrimental to a band’s sound.

In “Smoke + Mirrors,” Imagine Dragons takes a new spin on modern rock with a mixed-genre approach between rock, pop and metal. Occasionally, this approach makes the music exciting and unique, but the album overall is too experimental, with chaotic instruments and overdone sounds.

“Smoke + Mirrors” is the second full-length studio album by American rock band Imagine Dragons. Their 2012 debut album, “Night Visions,” placed at number two on the Billboard 200 list and included the Grammy-winning hit “Radioactive.” The four band members from Las Vegas worked with English hip-hop producer Alexander Grant and Interscope Records to produce their new record.
One of the few satisfying tracks on the album is the triumphant ballad “I Bet My Life.” The track is the closest thing in the album that compares to a hit like “Radioactive,” with a catchy chorus and unforgettable synthesizers.

Another profound track, “It Comes Back to You,” features mellow beats that highlight the band’s effortless vocals. The chorus resembles a mixture of Coldplay and Mumford and Sons with gentle drums and sleek keyboards. The song does not stray too far from the band’s modern rock sound, but adds a softer, simpler twist to the often over-energized album.

However, in the rest of the album, the band’s experimentation makes the music sound disastrous. “Gold” consists entirely of riotous instruments and purposeless beats. The music awkwardly switches from strange whistling to shrieking drums, making the sound jumbled and disorganized.

Furthermore, “Friction” sounds more like heavy metal than rock, containing overpowering vocals and excessive drumming that leads to nowhere. Additionally, in “Polaroid,” the vocals have no depth, sounding mundane and monotonous among a plain keyboard and random tambourines.

The album is so overdone that obscure, strange-sounding instruments are added in random places in attempt to make the music sound unique. A mixed-genre sound is clearly not meant for Imagine Dragons, and although the band’s vocal talent is still present, they need to learn that too much experimentation is detrimental.

“Smoke + Mirrors” was released Feb. 17 and is available for purchase digitally and in retail for $11.99.