Album Review: Imagine Dragons - Night Visions

Spawned from the same colourful desert as Brandon Flowers & Co, Las Vegas troupe Imagine Dragons garnered a swift following in their hometown, taking out local competitions and swiftly landing their record deal. Not wasting time, debut album Night Visions arrives even more promptly, confirming that despite a charismatic vocalist and some very likeable moments of indie-pop and alt.rock fusion, more time spent developing a sound that runs cohesively throughout their first effort may have been fruitful.

Having said that, the first half of Night Visions certainly pricks up the ears. Vocalist Dan Reynolds has a set of chops capable of adding a bit of light and shade – sweet and crooning at points, ballsy and dynamic at others. Opener Radioactive showcases the group's deft hand at crafting songs with diversity running wild; acoustic guitars, striking keys and glittery synths all set on top of a crackling dubstep beat. It's hooky numbers like this and the hand-clapping, anthemic Tip Toe that see the album safely on its way into the mid-section, made up of Reynolds' vocal delivery that suddenly channels a more forceful Chris Martin, treated to multi-tracking over some repeated tribal-like guitar motifs in On Top Of The World, then softening in the most bare and unaffected indie-sounding track on offer, Amsterdam.

When Every Night rolls around, it takes a dramatic turn into R&B territory with soft beats and crisp deliveries. Bleeding Out follows suit with neatly placed melodic lines under shimmery synths, and the until now earthy handclaps turn into buzzing beats in Underdog. As standalone songs they're fine, they just alter the album's trajectory slightly but it's certainly worth a look into.