For someone who rarely listens to specific bands or music groups, I was quite shocked to find that I had changed my mind. After listening to One Direction over and over again, I had completely given up on bands and groups as a whole and switched to solo artists like Adele and Beyoncé, but then I discovered Imagine Dragons. This band is amazing, and there isn’t even one song on their most recent album, “Night Visions” that I dislike.
The fact that they’re not mainstream is what makes them even better. Based in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Imagine Dragons are an American indie rock band. Even if you aren’t into indie rock (like me,) you’ll still love this album (like I did.) Their album was released just last year and combines different forms of music aside from indie rock, such as alternative rock, hip-hop, dubstep, folk, and pop. The Imagine Dragons have received positive feedback from listeners across the nation for their music in this album. It debuted number 2 on the Billboard 200 in the United States and has become famous not just in America, but in Europe as well.
The album features 11 songs, all written and produced by Imagine Dragons.
Radioactive: Starting off with a slow beat and escalating into steady vocals and suddenly erupting into a heavy chorus, this track is not the song you want to listen to while cruising down Lake Shore Drive on a Saturday afternoon; instead this is probably a song you would like to listen to while planning a revolution. The rock beats and intense mixture of vocals from each member in the band is exciting and will not keep you bored. At all.
Tiptoe: This is the motivational song of the album. It asks you to get up and slowly reach new heights, ‘tiptoeing’ so as not to let anyone know what you’re doing, so you’ll get them when they least expect it. With a catchy chorus and steady beats of rock and indie, this song really gets you to press the replay button.
It’s Time: The most heard track from this album. You’ve probably heard the lovable Blaine Anderson from “Glee” sing this in an episode. His cover was amazing, and the credit goes not just to him, but the original song as well. It is a “yes, I can!” song that isn’t rock or indie, but a mixture of pop and folk. It has a catchy chorus and steady beats that don’t get too extreme, but at the same time aren’t dull or slow. All members of the band share in on the vocals in a lovely mixture and this is another song you really can’t get enough of.
Demons: Other than the chorus, this track is sung on a slow beat and then erupts into the chorus. It can be considered a song for a rainy day when you aren’t feeling too great and you need a song that reflects how you feel. You want to scream, but then you’re still silent, and this song really does that. Not my favorite, but it is definitely a song that many people can actually relate to, especially the idea of personal demons and fighting the worst in us.
On Top of the World: This track will make you happy. It is fun, sweet, and probably is a song you would listen to while cruising down Lake Shore Drive on a Saturday afternoon. Just as the title implies, this song is about a man who is very happy with his life. He wants to share it with everyone, and it will make you happy too. The chorus is simple and catchy, and the beats are enjoyable.
Amsterdam: And then, all of a sudden, they throw in a sad track. The contrast is heavy between this song and previous songs. This is a song about deep regret and unhappiness that a person is feeling, and the slow beats to sudden fast beats reflect that. The song has its ups and downs in terms of music to show the meanings even more clearly. Towards the end of the song, the mood changes into hopeful, and the chorus’ sudden upbeat and intense music reflects that, as if the singer needs that hope. It’s a song I had to listen to a couple times before realizing what it was trying to say, but nevertheless, it is a song many could possibly relate to.
Hear Me: This is the rock song of the album. The chorus is the best part of the song, so don’t turn it off too quickly. Even though it’s not the best of the album, it still has a nice beat to it that reflects the meanings of the lyrics and goes from quiet vocals to very loud vocals, to get you to “hear.”
Every Night: This track is one of the slower songs that doesn’t lead up to an ecstatic chorus. The lyrics are very repetitive and doesn’t show much depth because the meaning isn’t anything you’ve never heard before. However, the song is catchy and something that can attract some people, based on what they like to hear and whether or not they care much about the lyrics. Personally, I found this particular song somewhat dull, especially compared to the rest of the album.
Bleeding Out: My absolute favorite. The song doesn’t have an upbeat chorus nor does it intensify into any extreme beats, but the lyrics and the steady way the lyrics are sung really shows the intensity of the meaning, which makes this song very exhilarating. This track is something that you can listen to no matter where you are, and you’ll still love it. The rhythmic claps that can be heard in the background as well as the high to low volumes of the vocalist make the song different from the other songs, and overall this is a song that is actually quite different from other mainstream music as well.
Underdog: The beginning of this song, and pretty much the rest of this song, actually has a very mainstream style and is not my favorite it at all. However, it is one of those happy songs with fun music and beats that just keep repeating themselves over and over again. This track does not offer anything new, but it is a song that is relatable and can be favored by many, just depending on music taste. But to those against mainstream sound, this is not the track you should start with when it comes to this album.
Nothing Left to Say: More music than words, but at the same time very exclusive in what meaning it is trying to convey. This isn’t a happy song, or a sad song, but it is one of those angry tracks in which the vocalist is just mad, frustrated, and upset, wanting to throw everything away but refusing to do so. The music between the vocals changed every time so there is a lot of variety. Towards the beginning it is more intense, while it calms down towards the end, showing the emotion of anger, how it starts off strong and heated, but eventually cools down. I really liked this song, especially because of how the music is portrayed.
Rocks: This isn’t a part of the entire album, but comes as an extension to the previous track as a hidden song. It is a brief track and features steady music with very little vocals. The music makes this song a very nice, slow, calm song that won’t irritate you, bother you, or exhilarate you either, but can be a song to fall asleep to or work to, or just play in the background.
