The full-length Impersonator follows the blueprint set forth on Turns Turns Turns with ten gorgeously minimal songs with equally naked lyrical content.
Impersonator is an album that sees life as fleeting–that death and the end of things is an ever present reality. The obvious conclusion is to hold tight to the people and things in life that mean something, but that’s too neat of a sentiment for Majical Cloudz.
Impersonator is a gorgeous record-- extraordinarily sung, hypnotically focused-- but it is Welsh's sense of emotional urgency that makes it special.
As an alternative response to the often overwhelming possibilities offered by technology and the tendencies to abound with details and mix everything up, Impersonator reminds us that minimalism is not just synonymous with reverie or disconnectedness.
Its ingredients are so simple that it might have been made in a home or garage studio, but Majical Cloudz’ sound is so uniquely and deliberately crafted that it’s unlikely just anyone with ProTools could do the same.
Bby utilizing a synth-based soundtrack just as organic, emotional, and unadulterated as Welsh’s voice and lyrics, Impersonator successfully matches man with machine and gives each an equally powerful, equally human voice.
By paring pop music to its core human elements, Majical Cloudz has written a record that’s bare enough to breathe inside. Feeling thrives in the blankness: that’s Impersonator’s paradox.
Impersonator is heavy stuff as Welsh leaves few stones unturned in exposing his personal pains and failures. Impersonator tells a supremely honest story from the mouth of a self-proclaimed liar.
Even if Impersonator isn't the most uplifting music to listen to, it's carefully restrained and delicately expansive at the right moments.
What’s impressive is that, for all its hymnal melodramatics, ‘Impersonator’ somehow bypasses insufferability.
When he flirts with dangerous grey areas, he actually ends up striking gold. 'Impersonator' is sadly scarce of these occasions, but when valued as a direct proposal and a coherent piece, it rarely lets slip.
Tedious genre classification aside, it’s a fascinating record that begs softly for closer inspection and possibly even adoration.
Majical Cloudz may be dark, but there's light poking through.
While I do believe that more variation — both in emotional tone and in musical structure — could have lent this album greater lasting power, there are certainly many moments of arresting beauty and clarity to be found here.
The majority sounds like demos for a fuller, richer album that Welsh undoubtedly has the skills to write.
This was a decent album. Everything was pleasant sounding, and there were even some emotional high points. However, it isn't groundbreaking or exceptionally exciting. This was a slow album, but I think it worked well with the singer's voice. It felt soothing and serene, although the themes didn't match it. There were some great high points, and a lot of mediocre material as well. There was even an occasional boring moment, but at only 38 minutes long, it wasn't that hard to get through. Overall ... read more
How skillfully these Majical Cloudz manage to create notable poetry out of worthless material.
Majical Cloudz is like coming back to life and every song or album is a great experience even if you don't look into this genre.
Essential tracks - Chillhoods End, Turns Turns Turns, I Do Sing For You
i didn't like this full record as much as i was hoping to. still, devon has a beautiful voice and "i do sing for you" is one of the best songs ever made so---
This was a decent album. Everything was pleasant sounding, and there were even some emotional high points. However, it isn't groundbreaking or exceptionally exciting. This was a slow album, but I think it worked well with the singer's voice. It felt soothing and serene, although the themes didn't match it. There were some great high points, and a lot of mediocre material as well. There was even an occasional boring moment, but at only 38 minutes long, it wasn't that hard to get through. Overall ... read more
1 | Impersonator 3:10 | |
2 | This is Magic 4:26 | |
3 | Childhood's End 3:48 | |
4 | I Do Sing For You 4:10 | |
5 | Mister 4:12 | |
6 | Turns Turns Turns 3:43 | |
7 | Silver Rings 5:15 | |
8 | Illusion 2:51 | |
9 | Bugs Don't Buzz 3:20 | |
10 | Notebook 3:19 |
#7 | / | Cokemachineglow |
#8 | / | Pitchfork |
#12 | / | eMusic |
#22 | / | Listen Before You Buy |
#33 | / | Consequence of Sound |