Imagine Dragons awes in ‘Origins’ album

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Friday, Nov. 9, alternative rock band Imagine Dragons dropped their fourth studio album, “Origins,” featuring top tracks “Natural” and “Zero.” Imagine Dragons first appeared prominently in the music world with their single “It’s Time” and with their first album “Night Visions” in 2012. Several of their first hits are still remembered today, including “Radioactive” and “Demons”, which both reached high up on the Billboards charts. “Radioactive” even went on to win the Grammy Award for the Best Rock Performance in 2013.

The band is originally from Las Vegas, although they pulled together from a various number of places in Utah. Currently, the members include leader singer Dan Reynolds, drummer Daniel Platzman, bass guitarist Ben McKee and cellist Daniel Wayne Sermon.

“Night Visions” still remains my favorite album from Imagine Dragons, although their second and third studio albums, “Smoke + Mirrors” and “Evolve”, contained several amazing tracks. “Night Visions” was pop mixed with alternative rock. It was a soulful exploration of music.

“Smoke + Mirrors” and “Evolve” had more kick to them with heavy metal sounds and beats that made me feel each song, slow or fast, in my bones. Yet in “Origins” the vibe is different from their previous albums. The recent album is more mellow. It has a more relaxed vibe. It still has the rock aspect but it isn’t as intense or catchy as previous albums.

Imagine Dragons has been experimenting with their style of music through their albums, as the shift from “Night Visions” and “Smoke + Mirrors” demonstrates, so this change is nice contrast to the strong beats and loud vocals of “Evolve.” Off “Origins,” my favorite songs were “Natural,” “Bad Liar” and “Burn Out.”

“Natural” is their first track and a good awakening to the album. It’s one of the more fast-paced songs. “Bad Liar” was a beautiful song that I think transitioned so well from “Chill Out” in mixing the pacing of the songs and not becoming too intense or too mellow.

“Burn Out” is the second to last song and it carries a relaxing tone, winding down the abum. In “Burn Out” and in “Love,” the lyrics can really be heard well and appreciated. That stood out to me. I listen more to the beat and energy in songs and lyrics are a secondary factor I look at.

While many tracks on this album stand out as catchy songs, the album is a mix of calming and slow rocking songs that appear in a manner like waves, a tide ebbing and rushing back up at you. The music drags you into that flow and it’s a calming feeling. It is not something I would typically listen to when I’m trying to be productive, but it is definitely an album to experience if you like calm rock songs and beats that aren’t too intense but still are the keystone of the album.