Imaginal Disk

Woah that's a big disc! What is it 25 terabytes?

I had delayed listening to this project for quite a while despite seeing the overwhelmingly positive reception this project has been getting. Who would know it would take a random reddit user providing me the motivation to finally listen to this masterpiece. I'm gonna be honest and say that Magdalena Bay never really had made their click with me up to this point despite their sound in general being something that should be magic for me. Their 2020 EP left me desiring more and Mercurial World certainly felt like a step in the right direction with me walking away from that project enjoying a majority of what was on it. Still though, I felt like I was missing out on something that everyone else seemed to be getting. After a bit of digging on the internet though I found I was not alone in this feeling with many of the people who felt similar to me urging that this project is different. I can safely report, this project shares many similarities with their previous works, but is a different beast at the same time.

To begin with, the first thing I want to commend on this project is simply the vocals. Mica Tenenbaum's vocal delivery throughout the majority of this project lays in a softer set of tones, but has enough to power to cut right through some of the more punchy instrumentation making it extremely easy to get lost within. A moment in particular where I feel the delivery shines is on the backend of the track Image where the bass in the instrumental really picks up a considerable amount of distortion and volume, but I still don't find Mica's vocals getting drowned out at all. This is the same for the following track Death & Romance where once again Mica hits perfectly with these sweat trills over the chorus with a nice little bit of rasp that really makes me feel as if I am elevating right out of my chair while listening. Finally, I would like to just briefly touch on the vocals for the track Love Is Everywhere. This track goes for a much more calmer mood almost border lining some elevator music stylings, but I really appreciate some of the more free flowing and just generally fun elements in the vocal delivery on the last thirty seconds of this track.

Another element that is just so different about this project lies in the instrumentals of these tracks. To be straight to the point, these tracks just have 10 times the punch of anything I was hearing off Magdalena Bay's previous works. I previously mentioned the distorted and epic Death & Romance, but you also get a track later on the album like That's My Floor. That's My Floor may start rather contained and funky to boot, but eventually starts pouring the gas in the tank and the last forty five or so seconds of the track are absolute ear candy. I especially love the free form screechy guitar work as the track closes itself out. Oh yeah, Tunnel Vision also bangs with it almost psych rock ending to everything going on.

I would like to say though, as much as this project has enough punch to knock a trained MMA fighter out, this project also has some much sweeter and lighter moments as well. Killing Time, Vampire in the Corner, Love is Everywhere, and the closer The Ballad of Matt & Mica all have me ready to grab a beach chair, kick my feet up, and let the sun reign on my face.

With everything I have already said about this project there is one thing I don't want to understate. This project is really freaking great. Don't be like me, give this thing a fair shot and give it a listen. You are unlikely to be disappointed unless this just genuinely is not a sound you enjoy listening to. I might come back at a future date after I have had more time to really let this album sink in and add some more of my feelings on a track by track basis, but for now this is all I got.