Review Summary: Magdalena Bay’s sophomore release features the duo at their absolute best, and is one of the most well-produced, jaw-dropping pop music experiences in recent memory.
When Magdalena Bay (consisting of vocalist/instrumentalist Mica Tenenbaum as well as instrumentalist Matthew Levin) made their studio debut with
Mercurial World, I found it to be a relatively enjoyable synth pop album that was just a bit too inconsistent. Although there were some truly remarkable pop tracks on it (such as
You Lose! and
Hysterical Us), I thought the album’s flow was lacking cohesion and that there were a handful of forgettable tracks that could’ve been cut from the final release. Despite my complaints though, I had a feeling that Magdalena Bay had serious untapped potential and that they were more than capable of one day producing a spectacular record.
There were two things, however, that I couldn’t have anticipated: First of all, I didn’t think their potential would be fully realized on just their second studio album. And second of all, I had somehow underestimated just how much potential they truly had.
Imaginal Disk isn’t just spectacular - it’s remarkably well-produced, not a single song feels out of place, and the overall musicianship is excellent from top-to-bottom. Simply put,
Imaginal Disk is the closest I’ve heard to a “perfect” pop album in years.
Magdalena Bay has described
Imaginal Disk as a “loose” concept album. The album tells the story of a character named True, who has a CD inserted into her brain that gives her the power to transform into the ideal, perfect, being. However, her body rejects the disk and she learns what it means to truly be human. If this premise sounds a little iffy or over-ambitious to you, that’s fine. Thankfully, the album does a fantastic job at telling a story without cramming any of it down your throat. The album features two interludes that thankfully serve more as transition pieces between other songs on the album rather than serving as boring exposition dumps to try to drive the album’s narrative and themes into your head. In fact, you can go into it with no knowledge of the album’s concept whatsoever (as I initially did) and still get all the same enjoyment from it.
However, very few (if any) music fans are drawn to synth-pop albums such as this one for the story; they’re more interested in the music itself. The musicianship on this album is nothing short of amazing; the instrumentals feel incredibly organic, and the crisp, slick production does an excellent job at making each instrument stand out in a noticeable way. For example, listen to the bass on tracks such as
Killing Time,
Love Is Everywhere, and
That’s My Floor. Each of these songs feature a bass melody that’s powerful, deep, and satisfying to the listener. The drums on the album, performed by session musician Nick Villa, are also worth highlighting.
Mica Tenenbaum’s vocals, which admittedly can be an acquired taste for some due to her somewhat nasally voice, are nearly flawless on
Imaginal Disk. She manages to deliver her lyrics in a variety of ways depending on what the song calls for. Tracks like
Death & Romance,
Cry For Me (which might legitimately be the best pop song of the decade so far), and
Angel On A Satellite feature emotional, sometimes dramatic vocal performances that manage to feel urgent and authentic without ever feeling like “too much.” However, the vocals on songs like
Image,
Love Is Everywhere, and
The Ballad of Matt & Mica feel much more optimistic and joyful, again, without feeling inauthentic.
I could go on and on gushing about all the little things I loved in
Imaginal Disk, such as how smoothly the album transitions from song-to-song, or how memorable the instrumental crescendos are on tracks like
Death & Romance and
Vampire In The Corner, or how lovely the album’s closing track reprises a melody from its opener, but I fear this review would never end.
Imaginal Disk isn’t just a special pop album, it’s a remarkable accomplishment in music that has left a lasting impact on me, and has all the makings of a truly classic album. Only time will tell how it will hold up as the 2020’s progress, but as of now,
Imaginal Disk is one of the most impressive and jaw-dropping albums of the decade so far.
5 out of 5
