[powerpress]
The Album Effect episode 27 reviews Origins by Imagine Dragons, Lionheart by H.C. McEntire, and special submissions from Micropixie for her concept album, The Good, the Beige & the Ugly, and Drew Chester’s debut EP, Waiting., plus a new single, The Understanding, from rock band, Slo Felix, and more.
Check out and listen to The Good, the Beige & the Ugly by Micropixie, here.
Listen to Drew Chester’s Waiting., here. (Also available on Spotify & iTunes)
Hear Slo Felix’s The Understanding, here.
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Episode 27 Albums:
Origins (2018)
Imagine Dragons
Rock band Imagine Dragons formed in 2008 when vocalist Dan Reynolds met drummer Andrew Tolman while studying at Brigham Young University. The band soon became a five-piece and released their first EP later that year. Though they had developed a large following in Utah, they started to garner attention outside the state after filling in for Train at the 2009 Bite of Las Vegas Festival. After signing with Interscope Records, Imagine Dragons released their debut full-length album in 2012, which debuted at number two on the Billboard chart. The highest charting debut rock album since 2006, Night Visions also found success internationally with top ten chart appearances in Canada, Europe and Australia as well.
Released in November 2018, Origins is Imagine Dragons’ fourth full-length studio album. Reynolds has described it as a companion album to previous effort, Evolve, and the completion of a musical cycle for the band. Produced by Imagine Dragons, as well as previous collaborator Alex da Kid, Origins debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart. The album had several singles featured in tv and movies, including “Natural,” which was used as ESPN’s 2018 college football anthem and “Zero,” which made an appearance in the Ralph Breaks the Internet movie trailer. As with much of Imagine Dragons work, the album received mixed reviews, with critics divided on its commercial-friendly sound.
Lionheart (2018)
H.C. McEntire
Singer Heather McEntire was raised in a small farming community in North Carolina. Though she grew up listening to bluegrass and Christian country music, she did not originally believe there was a place for her in that scene, as an openly gay woman. McEntire instead formed punk band Bellafea after graduating from college and gained a following in the underground punk community. Still interested in exploring her southern gospel background, McEntire went on to co-create roots rock band Mount Moriah with Horseback guitarist Jenks Miller.
In 2018, McEntire released her debut solo album, Lionheart, under the H.C. McEntire moniker. With Mount Moriah taking a break, McEntire said she felt lost and ended up sending her solo demos to childhood hero Kathleen Hanna. She met Hanna, famous for riot grrrl bands Bikini Kill and Le Tigre, through the Girls Rock North Carolina nonprofit and thought they might work together on a punk album. However, Hanna encouraged her to pursue her country roots, leading to the creation of a country-gospel album on which McEntire explores the concept of reconciling her religious background with her sexuality. Lionheart also features collaborations with many of McEntire’s other favorite musicians, including Amy Ray, Tift Merritt, William Tyler and Mary Lattimore.
