Best of 2024: Magdalena Bay - Imaginal Disk
by Nolan MAJEROWSKI
In an era that is bombarded with minimalist interiors, “clean” aesthetics and company rebrands that suck the life out of whatever logo they used to sport, I yearn for things with character. I am much happier living in my current house that was built in the 1800s and has red and black cracked tiles on the kitchen floor than the luxury apartment I lived in a year ago that felt like a hotel. My house has peeling paint, red painted handrails on the front steps and two small stained glass windows. Sure, the luxury apartment may be “nicer” to most people’s standards, and sure, I can agree in some aspects, but it felt completely devoid of life. Look up a picture of the old Panera logo and tell me it is worse than the new one, SPOILER, it isn’t (sidebar, I just found out that Crocs got rid of the crocodile on their logo… my day is ruined). Today’s age is all about minimalism and self improvement, and I feel like a lot of these ideas strip away the small things that people enjoy. I saw a video of someone buying a 1930s era house, absolutely gutting its stained glass doors and patterned floor tiles, and replacing them with modern, grey/black/white/sleek features. So many products on the shelves have dull-colored branding that looks as clean as possible which attracts customers, but it does not take any risks or present itself in a way that actually speaks to people. We often don’t know how good we have it until something changes. With the world around me constantly opting for these changes, lots of things feel so bleak, and I am in need of something with color, something rich and full of life. I have found that thing, and it is called Imaginal Disk.
Magdalena Bay’s Spotify bio simply states, “Synth pop straight from the simulation,” which is pretty spot-on. This album in particular makes me feel like I am floating in a jet stream of zero gravity, passing planets and stars in outer space. I admire the way that once you start a song, you never really know what you’re in for, which adds to the feeling of floating through a vast expanse, waiting to discover something new. As much as this album sounds alien, with its many synths and effects, there is a very human aspect to it at the same time. Magdalena Bay expertly melds floaty synths with live drums, pianos and guitars that bring listeners back down to Earth for a moment before launching them back into the stratosphere.
The concept of imaginal disc comes from biology, where a caterpillar inside a cocoon basically melts before transforming into a butterfly. Biologists hypothesized that there is some sort of imaginary coding, or instructions that the caterpillar has to follow in order to transform. I highly recommend reading this interview, where Matt and Mica explain this concept in relation to the album. The idea of Imaginal Disk, is that a character named True, undergoes a hardware upgrade to become a new person much like the caterpillar. The lyrics explore themes of self-reflection, growth, and escape. On many songs, like standout “Image,” Mica’s lyrics of wanting to become someone else are juxtaposed by the danceable, funky instrumental.
This aspect is an incredible parallel to the concept of the album, as the exterior, or sound of the album portrays a different tone than the inner meaning, just as True acts differently than what she feels inside. The hardware upgrade eventually fails, and the character must grow by herself, signifying acceptance and self motivation.
In terms of production quality, Imaginal Disk is one of the greatest sounding albums I have ever heard. I would shamelessly put it next to Dark Side of the Moon, or Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots on a list of the best produced albums of all time. There is an exhaustive list of elements they got right. The drums on every track are groovy, there is percussive ear candy everywhere, the melodies are as catchy as I have ever heard, and the pacing is fantastic. I pick up something new every time I revisit the project, which may be why it hasn’t gotten old yet. There are no tracks that sound thin or boring. Even the slower songs are rich and teeming with life. These songs make me feel like I am biting into the juiciest, sweetest mango I have ever eaten. When I hear a song that is layered, and fills up my headphones, I admire the quality and think of all the attention to detail the artist has put in. I thought about this fifteen times on this fifteen-track album.
Once you hit play on any of these songs, what you are greeted with initially will hardly ever be what you hear for the entire run time of the song. This is well-illustrated on my favorite track, “That’s My Floor.” It starts out with just a synth, a drum groove and a funky bass, but there are new sounds left and right as the song progresses. A super fat, distorted, synth bass comes in for the chorus, followed by a synth solo and harpsichord sounding keys to transition to the second verse. Two and a half minutes in, listeners are sucked into a vortex of pads that build for the last chorus, and then a wailing guitar solo happens out of nowhere. These surprise elements are fantastic on first listen, and still fantastic 15+ listens later.
Magdalena Bay’s knack for melding genres is apparent on track 13, “Cry for Me,” which is as much Bee Gees as it is Daft Punk. Anyone who is yearning for a 21st century ABBA song should look no further. The genre blending that Magdalena Bay incorporates into this album makes me hesitant to put any sort of genre label on it, since it combines elements of electronic, pop and rock music for a sound all their own.
In the modern era, music allows listeners to break away from the ever-increasing sameness that is around them in their everyday lives. Life is hard, and for most people music is their escape. I implore everyone to escape into the simulation for a moment, and spend an hour in the vast galaxy that is Imaginal Disk by Magdalena Bay.