The album “Imaginal Disk” is, in short, fantastic. A spacey set of fifteen songs running about 53 minutes, this third full-length effort from electropop duo Magdalena Bay promises a host of musical payoffs, and no track misses the mark.
The opening track, “She Looked Like Me,” starts out fairly calmly, but begins to build as singer Mica Tannenbaum calls out lyrics about seeing one’s past self after a long time has passed. It’s an excellent opener, and transitions well into the next track.
The second track, “Killing Time,” is another highlight of the album, an incredibly catchy, well-produced song that seamlessly blends guitars with electronic elements.
A few tracks later comes arguably the best song on the album: “Death & Romance.” With perfectly done bass, acoustic drums, catchy piano sequences, and moments of huge instrumentals and fuzzing leads followed by sweeping arpeggios and a beautiful bridge before the instrumental cuts out almost completely before the last chorus hit, this song has everything it needs..
The final must-listen track on the album (they’re all actually must-listen, but I’ll cut you guys some slack) is the ninth track, “Tunnel Vision.” The song has a quick tempo and starts with quiet electronic elements which are almost like a lullaby. These parts cut out, giving way to an acoustic drum set briefly before the second verse brings back the quiet electronics with the addition of intense stabs interspersed throughout the verse.
Suddenly, the song builds back to the acoustic drum set, adding a piano and a ton of vocal layers. The tension built by the song is incredible, and the payoff works so well–power chords with weird spacey noises that cut off abruptly, without so much as a transition to the next track. This track encapsulates the entire album, perfectly tying the sounds of the album together.
As a whole, the album is cohesive, well-produced, lyrically compelling, and simply a musical triumph–it’s easily in my top three albums of the year.
“Imaginal Disk” sees Magdalena Bay at their absolute best, coming through with arguably one of the best pop albums of the last decade. Pop is having a fantastic year in 2024, isn’t it?
From a Catholic standpoint, this album is pretty harmless. There are a couple instances of the Lord’s name being taken in vain, and a couple songs conceal euphemisms for inappropriate behavior, but the overall message of the album is positive.
Musically, the album is a 9 out of 10, and would be a 10 if it didn’t struggle a tiny bit with pacing. Lyrically, it’s an 8 out of 10 for being mostly inoffensive and promoting positive messages to listeners, though it is fairly shallow some of the time.
My official rating for it is a 9 out of 10: it’s an album worth listening to again and again, and you’ll find something new to appreciate about it each time you listen.