Maps of Music

Smoke + Mirrors (2015)

Where the lyrics of Smoke + Mirrors take you, and where it was really made.

Fans hunted for hidden clues around Las Vegas to find the cover art, and the album went on to debut at number one on the US Billboard 200.

Key places

Larrabee Sound Studios, Los Angeles (2015)

Recording site Larrabee Sound Studios — Track credits name Larrabee Studios as the mixing location, and the place is listed as a recording location for the album. The album text itself places recording at the band's home studio in Las Vegas. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Second studio album by American pop rock band Imagine Dragons
• Released 17 February 2015 in the United States by Interscope Records and Grant's Kidinakorner label
• Self-produced by band members with English hip-hop producer Alex da Kid
• The album was supported by three singles: "I Bet My Life", "Gold" and "Shots"
• Sold over 2,000,000 copies in the US as of December 2024

Background

• Predecessor Night Visions was released in 2012 and launched the band into international mainstream success
• Night Visions Tour ran from early 2013 to mid-2014 with over 170 dates
• The band called the second album their "new year's resolution"
• Dan Reynolds said the band wanted to put out an album they were really happy with

Recording

• Recorded during 2014 at the band's home studio in Las Vegas, Nevada
• Creative work began before the Night Visions cycle ended; the band had 50 demos when it entered the studio
• Drummer Daniel Platzman said there was no room for external pressure during recording

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Imagine Dragons is an American pop rock band formed in 2008 and based in Las Vegas, Nevada.
• Dan Reynolds met drummer Andrew Tolman at Brigham Young University in 2008; the two recruited other members to form the band.
• The band's lineup changed several times; Wayne Sermon and Ben McKee completed the core line-up by 2009.
• The band released their first EPs in Las Vegas and signed with Interscope Records in November 2011.

Members

• The current lineup consists of lead singer Dan Reynolds, guitarist Wayne Sermon, and bassist Ben McKee.
• Daniel Platzman joined as drummer in 2011 and was later absent from the band; Andrew Tolman served as touring drummer.

Career

• Debut album Night Visions (2012) peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200; the single "Radioactive" topped the Hot Rock Songs chart for 23 weeks.
• Smoke + Mirrors (2015) became the band's first album to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
• Evolve (2017) produced the chart-topping singles "Believer", "Thunder", and "Whatever It Takes".
• Origins (2018) debuted at No. 2 in the US; Mercury – Acts 1 & 2 (2022) and Loom (2024) followed.
• The band has sold more than 74 million albums and won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance for "Radioactive".
• Critical reception of their albums has been mixed, though the band remains commercially successful.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• The album received generally mixed reviews from music critics upon release
• Q published a positive review and called it a modern pop-rock gem, also noting it as an improvement on the debut Night Visions
• Entertainment Weekly published a positive review, writing that the sophomore effort scales back on the electronic frippery
• Illinois Entertainer published an interview with Reynolds on 2 February 2015, saying the album is an ambitious, rock-solid effort with potential hits galore
• The Daily Telegraph published a highly positive review and called the album thunderous
• Allison Stewart of The Washington Post wrote that the band is very good at what it does, even if what it does isn't very good
• Dave DiMartino of Yahoo! Music wrote that the band's music, not their faces or personalities, resonates with mass audiences
• Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic described the album as overblown arena rock with more style than substance

Reappraisal

• Metacritic gave the album an average score of 60 based on 12 reviews, which indicates mixed or average reviews
• The album's lyrics were nominated for an AML Award

Records

• Debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 195,000 album-equivalent units (172,000 pure album sales)
• The band's only album to date to debut at number one
• Debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and the Canadian Albums Chart
• In the UK, it became the final album to reach number one on sales alone, before streaming was incorporated into the chart
• Certified gold in the United States, United Kingdom, Mexico and Brazil
• More than doubled the group's previous best sales week
• As of 2 December 2024, sold over 2,000,000 copies in the United States

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The band gave 13 fans puzzle pieces of the cover artwork; combined, the pieces revealed the cover art and album title.
• The numbers printed on the cover art gave coordinates to prizes hidden in the Nevada desert, including an autographed guitar, drumsticks, Polaroid pictures and a master pass for free concert tickets for the entire tour.
• The song "Friction" was used in the NBA 2K17 soundtrack and the trailer for Mission: Impossible – Fallout.
• The band's Destination Dragons promotion flew over 30 winners from across the US to small club shows in Los Angeles, Provo, Las Vegas and Atlanta.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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