Imaginary Album Review: Miyavi - Imaginary Ft. Kimbra
What? You did not think I'd forget to review my favorite J-Rock star's latest album, did you?
I had high expectations for the Imaginary album prior to its release, but it somehow shattered all of them. Compared to the more straightforward and clear-cut electronic rock of Holy Nights, Imaginary's rock sound is a lot less sharp, blending together with a sort of messy grit.
This explains why the title track was New Gravity. The song perfectly captures the album's sound. It also captures the grit behind this messy, glitchy sound driving the album.
On the other hand, Imaginary is likely to become a support title track. It is a collaboration with Kimbra, best known as Gotye's support singer in his classic Somebody I Used to Know. Thus, this song contains two modern legends, and likely will become a single for the album.
Given this setup, Imaginary is surprisingly dull. It lacks that friction and grit throughout the rest of Imaginary. The chorus's phrasing is highly awkward, almost a little rushed. Sure, it is catchy, but it is nothing Miyavi already has not done, but much better.
However, if there is one thing the song succeeds at, it is Kimbra's inclusion in the song. She clearly is using heavy vocal processing, giving her a more electronic voice. Rather than hide in a corner, she appears sporadically throughout the song, providing the ad-libs she is great at. She single-handedly improves this song big time.
The post-chorus guitar riff is expected for Miyavi. Nonetheless, it does provide a much-needed shot of adrenaline in a surprisingly tame Miyavi song. Thankfully, the rest of the album is fantastic, and more than compensates for this early dud.
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