Historically, there's a progression that bands usually follow before their sound goes full-on arena rock. Things will start small and gritty, and then as the fame and crowds build, the sound changes to match the massiveness of the venues. However, on their debut album, Imagine Dragons buck tradition and swing straight for the cheap seats, doing away with generations of sonic evolution in favor of the huge, arena-made sound of Night Visions. Dramatic and sweeping, the Las Vegas band works in the same vein as pop giants Coldplay, offering up track after track of hooky and emotional midtempo jams.
Tracks such as beat heavy opener “Radioactive” and the masterfully layered “Demons” could be performed acoustically around the campfire or electrified in concert. “Tiptoe” has elements of classic ‘80s technopop, while “On Top of the World” is a joyous handclap-driven number with big harmony vocals on the chorus and happy drumming. Both the airplay-friendly sound and thoughtful lyrics of “Every Night” are timeless.
In Los Angeles, there was one of the most important musical events of the year - the ceremony American Music Awards. On it with live performances: Katy Perry - Unconditionally, One Direction - Story Of My Life, Ariana Grande - The Way / Tattooed Heart, Imagine Dragons - Demons / Radioactive, Pitbull & Kesha - Timber, Justin Timberlake - Drink You Away, Florida Georgia Line & Nelly - Cruise, Rihanna - Diamonds, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis - Can't Hold Us, Jennifer Lopez - Tribute to Celia Cruz, A Great Big World & Christina Aguilera - Say Something, Kendrick Lamar - Swimming Pools / Poetic Justice, Lady Gaga & R.Kelly - Do What U Want, Luke Bryan - Downtown, Miley Cyrus - Wrecking Ball, TLC & Lil Mama - Waterfalls. Available separately. For technical parameters for each clip - see in details.