On release: Magdalena Bay's Imaginal Disk
From tongue-in-cheek lyrics, to magical digital dreamscapes, Magdalena Bay take us to a world where pop is wrapped around darker feelings.
I came across Magdalena Bay’s reference photos for their new album cover the other day, where they shared the process of getting that surrealistic artwork that illustrates the duo’s second album. The imagery tells the story of a world made digital, of health that depends on a Laserdisc. What do I hope from this album? That it teleports me somewhere else, that I can fully immerse myself in another reality. Modern escapism, yet not to a necessarily pleasant location.
She Looked Like Me!
A sticky opening that switches tempos to set the mood for what’s to come. It has an almost theatrical vibe to it, with the production resembling an opera’s oberture. The grave lyrics clash with the surreal moodiness of the melody, creating a soundscape that borderlines on angry at some points.
Killing Time
Can a Magdalena Bay song sound tropical? Because this one definitely does. A fun and easy to listen track that resembles a sticky summer afternoon, if only a bit less slow, but enhanced by lyrics that talk about boredom, and a passage of time that doesn’t seem so kind towards us. The song darkens as it goes on, but never steers far from the initial clear sounds.
True Blue Interlude
I have to admit I always get excited about a good interlude (I’m probably “Judah Smith’s Interlude”’s only fan). This sounds like Caroline Polachek’s “Meanwhile” upbeat sister, with themes about existence and the body, of an alien walking us through this new age process. To me, a good interlude must have some sort of replayability and a sense of order in the album, so that you don’t feel compelled to skip it. This one, I’ll be replaying.
Image
As it sometimes happens with singles, I find Image to be more ordinary than what we’ve listened to so far. While it’s impossible not to bop your head to the repeated - almost looped - lyrics, I can’t see myself reaching for this song that often. There is also a resemblance to Foster The People’s Torches that I welcome with open arms.
Death & Romance
Interesting piano right off the bat, that luckily is present throughout the entirety of the song. An elevated outro completes this track, that has the “hymnic” quality of those songs that will be chanted by fans, and recognized by non-fans.
Fear, Sex
Enchanting transition here, that I first mistook for an extended outro in “Death & Romance”. Both songs work like companions, sonically and thematically. This is the first track on Imaginal Disk where I feel I’m being teleported to outer space, to another planet, to the inside of a computer…
Vampire in the Corner
… and it continues through another transition. To me this track is, so far, the most interesting one in terms of songwriting. Using vampire to describe a lover will always have an inherently romanticism to it, charming creatures designed to tempt us humans (amongst other things). The vampire-valentine juxtaposition clicks, with a key change that solidifies the song.
Watching T.V.
A little hidden dreamscape with lyrics that border on the gruesome sometimes; a great balance. Despite that interesting approach, I find myself in the same position that with “Image”: I know I won’t be listening to this one more than once.
Tunnel Vision
Chaotic and otherwordly; surrealist, nonsensical in a way, and a hidden gem that we find here on track 9. The title is already a success, because it perfectly encapsulates that oppressive feeling of not being able to perceive your surroundings. The music does not only emphasize that notion, but also contributes to it with a tumultuous instrumental outro that acts as the final brooch.
Love Is Everywhere
A fun, dreamy, song settles us down after the turmoil of “Tunnel Vision”, and it works. Do the lyrics accompany this funny feeling the synthesizer creates? Well, yes and no, but the darker allusions about self-judgement and the sometimes inevitable pessimism contrast skilfully with a soundscape that feels like having a crush.
Feeling DiskInserted?
To this I can only say: thank you Magdalena Bay for this surprising, charming interlude.
That’s My Floor
It seems like it doesn’t fully take off, despite all the materials for it to work being there.
Cry for Me
Yet “Cry For Me” takes off (kind of literally) in the first seconds. This disco-inspired track had me immediately moving along in my seat, as it flows from beginning to end. The spaceship sounds add a welcomed depth to it, blending seamlessly with Mica’s vocals. It does takes you on a trip.
Angel on a Satellite
This transition on the album takes us from the heights of the “space exploring” we just did, to a cohesive, almost-ballad at some points, track that reinforces the ideas reflected precisely on the album’s cover. That surrealism, that blend of digital and organic, of real and not real, is present in the entirety of the song.
The Ballad of Matt & Mica
The first few seconds of this sound like a track out of Animal Crossing, which I mean as the highest of compliments, really. Tying the lyrics and the sound to the first track, it turns Imaginal Disk into a full circle moment. That being said, it falls a bit flat for an closing track, especially considering the strength of other songs.
I feel now like I have landed back in the safety of my home planet, that all the wires previously connected to my body have disappeared. The trip is over, and so is Imaginal Disk. Good night, earthlings.