After the rapid, unexpected success of their first album, Night Visions, Imagine Dragons set expectations for a follow-up as demanding as the illustrious anthems which dominated their debut. Their highly anticipated sophomore release Smoke + Mirrors falls just short of expectations with its clearly overambitious recipe.
On this album, the group took advantage of its impressive knack for concocting electric mixtures of fervent beats and sweet, melancholic lyricism. Each track blends familiar sequences of clapping, synth, electric guitar, and steady drum with the commanding presence of its dark, introspective lyrics.
In the chorus of the opening track, “Shots,” lead singer Dan Reynolds chants, “I’m sorry for everything / Oh, everything I’ve done / From the second that I was born it seems I had a loaded gun / And then I shot, shot, shot a hole through everything I loved.”
As the album progresses, new layers of style, beat, and sound emerge and multiply. At first, this is intriguing, but too quickly, it’s overwhelming. By trying to explore different styles, the group fails to strike the successful balance of their eclectic powerhouse records “Radioactive” and “Demons.”
“Friction” is a good example of this musical exploration gone wrong. The song experiments with the combination of Eastern strum and Western dub, culminating in an undesirable clash of instrumentals and thrashing vocals. Similarly innovative tracks like “Dream” and “Summer,” however, manage to succeed because they allow Reynolds’ broad vocal range to shine as he shifts between pure falsettos and deeper tones, with a rugged intensity.
Building upon the triumph of their early success, Imagine Dragons’ Smoke + Mirrors clouds a recognizable technique with an excess of stylistic influences, reflecting endless images of unfulfilled potential.
Voice’s Choices: “I Bet My Life,” “Dream”
