Magdalena Bay is a music duo out of Los Angeles consisting of vocalist Mica Tenenbaum and instrumentalist Matthew Lewin who earlier this year, released their second studio album “Imaginal Disk.” Magdalena Bay does a great job of mixing synth-wave and pop throughout the album. As far as pure music production, this album probably has the best in recent memory.
This album opens with the song “She Looked Like Me!”, which works as a great opener for the album. The song sets up the vibe throughout the album by introducing the feel and aesthetics of the album. The vocals always sound clear and blend great with the instrumentals which makes this album easy to listen to. My favorite part of the production is the drums. They always sound tight and keep the low end intact while keeping high quality.
The art direction of this album is what brings me to the album the most. Inside and outside the music, this project perfectly harps on the 80’s VHS and vibes. The feel stays consistent From the music videos to the synths they use in the music.
My favorite song on this album is “Death & Romance”. This song is powerful in the production and drums. The melody is performed beautifully by Tenenbaum which makes the song feel whole with her vocals.
Another one of my favorite songs is “True Blue Interlude”. This song is straight cathartic throughout. Tenenbaum uses spoken word to provide a psychedelic poem about becoming your true self. This song shows just how weird and different this album can be.
Where this album hurts is in its repetitiveness. The songs often blend themselves into each other with a little variation. I would like a little bit more variety in the songs or cutting down or changing the song list.
Overall this album is a great experience from top to bottom. Featuring outstanding production and aesthetics. I give the project a 7.8/10.
