It’s been 10 years since Imagine Dragons first invaded the charts, a tragedy from which I didn’t think rock music could recover. There is almost nothing new or interesting to be found in their entire discography, yet the band rules the charts and crowds other artists out of radio airplay. Imagine Dragons was the biggest rock band of the 2010s, according to Billboard. But it isn’t real rock.
Rock music, more than a sound, is a set of ideas. Concepts such as originality and controversy are integral to the genre, but are completely unknown to Imagine Dragons and other popular “rock” bands. Fans herald the band as the future of rock music, but the real rockers sound and look nothing like Imagine Dragons.
Following the release of their 2012 single, “It’s Time,” MTV named the Las Vegas group “the year’s biggest band” and their debut studio album, Night Visions, went double platinum. Singles from the album such as “It’s Time,” “Demons” and “Radioactive” took over the alternative radio stations that were staples in my parents’ cars. “It’s Time” is a boring and unassuming indie-pop-rock track featuring a pretentious mandolin, but the song was also the harbinger of what was to come. I endured this track and scores of other Imagine Dragons hits ad nauseam as the stations gradually became unable to go an hour without playing one of their songs.
Night Visions is a train wreck of an album. Hits from the first side such as “Radioactive” and “Demons” are catchy, but also painfully melodramatic and instrumentally uninteresting. Lead singer Dan Reynolds had earnestly begun experimenting with his trademarked overblown, ear-splitting choruses and lyrical content mainly consisting of vague, empty references to personal struggles and politics.
Imagine Dragons has picked up the mantle of Nickelback to further pioneer the genre of “toothless rock;” musicians who take no risks and ruffle no feathers. Other artists that fall into this category include One Republic, Ed Sheeran, Fall Out Boy and Glass Animals. The musical style has surprisingly endured up until the present day, simultaneously losing quality and gaining popularity.
Imagine Dragons’ new single “Bones” shows that they haven’t learned how to write a compelling song after a decade in the music business. The band again indulges themselves with obnoxious pitch-shifted vocals and lyrics that ring hollower than an empty can. I can only hope one day the band makes a song so mediocre and forgettable that their fans will finally start to turn to better, more exciting artists. I doubt it.
Another trend that points to traditional rock music’s decline is a genre I call “Dad Rock Revival.” Its hallmark features are aggressive unoriginality and obnoxious attempts to conjure up nostalgia. A prime example of this is a band called Greta Van Fleet. The group is essentially a Led Zeppelin cover band but with original music. Frontman Joshua Kizka copies Robert Plant’s legendary wailing vocals exactly while guitarist Jake Kizka expertly steals Jimmy Page’s signature style. Led Zeppelin was notorious for ripping off other artists, but Greta Van Fleet take it to an entirely new level. While the band’s catalog is entirely listenable, its unoriginality is downright offensive. With their songs they are insisting that music should never progress past where it was in 1975. Italian band Maneskin is another notable example of Dad Rock Revival.
The spirit of rock ‘n’ roll–youth, innovation, rebelliousness–isn’t found in most artists who claim to carry its torch. Artists like Denzel Curry, whose fifth studio album Melt My Eyez See Your Future was released in March 2022, better embody rock’s essence, even if they don’t sound like Led Zeppelin or the Rolling Stones. Curry’s new rap project expertly blends boom-bap with jazzier and more ethereal elements, resulting in a surreal and melodic sound. Laid back and introspective tracks prevail throughout the album, but are balanced by fast-paced cuts full of youthful energy. It’s a huge departure from his previous work, which was equally outstanding but much more aggressive and trap-focused. Curry’s willingness to take topical issues head on as well as grapple with his own personal struggles shows a maturity that’s uncommon among younger artists. His ardent antigovernmental stance and rebellious attitude, however, puts him in line with rock’s earlier pioneers.
Curry is unpredictable as an artist and never afraid to reinvent himself with each new album. He’s admirable because he’s taking risks and reaching for the new, unlike stagnant artists such as Imagine Dragons and Greta Van Fleet. With the exception of a few indie rock groups like MGMT and the Strokes, it’s rappers that truly carry the spirit of rock music. Artists like Denzel Curry, Kendrick Lamar and Danny Brown have the courage to challenge the status quo both lyrically and musically. The face of the genre may have changed, but we never lost rock ‘n’ roll.
Photo courtesy of Imagine Dragons
