'Imaginal Disk' by Magdalena Bay - Album Review

Powerful, ethereal and, at the same time, very very fun.

★★★★★

Hypnotic. Dreamy. Emphatic. Captivating; just a few words to describe the soundscape and experience of this record. ‘Imaginal Disk’ is the sophomore album from Los Angeles based pop duo Magdalena Bay. This album accompanies a lovely, albeit standard pop EP, 'A Little Rhythm and a Wicked Feeling', their critically acclaimed debut album ‘Mercurial World’ and three volumes of a mixtape series titled ‘mini mix’.  

This LP takes the addictive qualities of the duo’s debut album and makes it bolder and more expressive. The synths feel unconventional and futuristic, the bass in many songs is more prominent along with the slightly distorted bass in songs like ‘Vampire in the Corner’ and there is a major inclusion of strings sections such as the backing crescendo of ‘Watching T.V.’ Mercurial World gives off the vibe of your more classic Dream-Pop record whereas Imaginal Disk incorporates so many more layers to its instrumentation to the point it could border the lines of Psychedelic Rock. This album is over-produced in the most crisp way possible. With every song you can feel each different layer of the production, it doesn't just sound like instruments were played sporadically for the sake of it, everything fits perfectly together.

Magdalena Bay don’t just thrive off their bold and complex instrumentation however, the album's lyrical content is very powerful and uplifting, you can sense cohesion in the narrative told from track to track. Throughout the first half of this record there is a consistent theme of loss, heartbreak and longing for more. This is portrayed no better than in the song 'Death & Romance'. Lyrics like 'I give and you give 'til it's all that we have' fully epitomising the feeling of hopelessness and yearning for more. The track ‘Tunnel Vision’ acts as a narrative shift into self-discovery and transformation. With lyrics like ‘I turn my headlights on and suddenly I can see’ along with the lush, optimistic instrumental, this track instills a sense of hope.

The back half of the album continues the theme of growth and rehabilitation but emphasises it in different tones. ‘Love Is Everywhere’ is the most hopeful sounding song on the record, with it's beautiful production alongside Mica's airy and dreamy vocals. However, just a few songs later we get a sentimental ballad ‘Angel on a Satellite’ which shows how the singer is healing from past struggles. This all concludes perfectly with the closing song ‘The Ballad of Matt & Mica’. This song is a celebration of the trip the listener has just been through. The song fading away at the end acts as a goodbye to the characters from Mercurial World, thus wrapping up the themes of personal growth. 

This record has the perfect balance of intricate lyricism, production from Matt that is brash and eccentric at points then timid and uplifting at others and stellar vocals from lead singer Mica which makes this album a must listen. On first listen I could sense that this would be one of my favourite albums of the year and after many more listens I can conclude that fact. This album will be very tough to top, especially since I have given it the perfect five stars.