Loom＜タワーレコード限定/Retail Exclusive Apricot Vinyl＞

パワフルかつメロディアスなロックを放ち続けるモンスターバンド、Imagine Dragonsによる、6枚目のオリジナル・アルバム。
アニメ『Arcane』のテーマ曲としてロング・ヒットした楽曲「Enemy」収録のアルバム『Mercury Act1 & 2』に続く、約2年ぶりとなる待望の最新アルバムから、先行シングル「Eyes Closed」が公開されている。

After a period of introspection on 2022s deep double album Mercury, Imagine Dragons bring the beat back on their lively seventh set, Loom. Produced by the band with Swedish collaborators Mattman & Robin, its a short-and-sweet dose of everything that have made Imagine Dragons such a global favorite in the decade since their debut: insidiously catchy earworms that throw genre convention to the wind in favor of physically motivated doses of juiced-up pop/rock. That trademark anthemic blitz of genres backed by hard-hitting percussion is boosted with the addition of more pop flair and hip-hop bounce, as heard on early album tracks "Wake Up" (which could be an alternate-universe Eminem track in the most complimentary way possible); the surprising "Nice to Meet You," a funky disco-pop dancefloor bop; and the Latin-tinged "Take Me to the Beach." The ominous "Eyes Closed" -- with or without the J Balvin feature -- is classic Imagine Dragons, knocking heads with wobbly dubstep rattle, gang shouts, and Dan Reynolds distinctive delivery. "Gods Dont Pray" rides a sinister alterna-dub bounce, while "Kid" keeps that Gorillaz vibe going with a track that could have been plucked straight from Demon Days. Of the slower moments, the yearning mid-album respite "In Your Corner" pulses along a determined beat and wistful, Linkin Park-esque synths, while the moving "Dont Forget Me" pleads and begs atop twinkling production and a touchingly earnest performance from Reynolds. While Mercury kept their hit streak going and matured the band with a welcome vulnerability, longtime fans of their aggressive empowerment anthems will delight in this pseudo-"return to form" from the Vegas quartet, one of their most satisfying and immediate sets to date. ~ Neil Z. Yeung

2021年の前作『Mercury -Acts 1』と拡張盤〈Acts 1 & 2〉を経てダニエル・プラッツマンは一時離脱中だが、バンドは止まらずトリオ体制でニュー・アルバムを完成した。長い付き合いのマットマン&ロビンが初めて丸ごとプロデュースし、一周回ったブロステップ風味が新鮮な先行カット"Eyes Closed"同様、チャント的な歌とシンガロング系のフックを備えた明快なトラックが並ぶ。パーカッシヴな冒頭の"Wake Up"や小気味良い"Nice To Meet You"など、どこまでもアップビートでメロディアスなスタジアム・ポップに気分も盛り上がるはず。
bounce (C)亜蘭済士