夢龍樂隊：搖滾回歸

The odds of becoming a success in the music industry are slim， and the odds of continuing that mainstream success are even less likely. However， the Las Vegas-based rock band Imagine Dragons is hoping to be the exception to the rule with a global tour.

The tour aims to promote their sophomore album Smoke + Mirrors， which is inspired by the bands own transformation. The band members say they were performing in bars only a few years ago. But now they are Grammy Award winners， thanks to their debut album Night Visions.

“A lot of the themes in the music reflect the highs and lows of life on the road. You face some of your most exhilarating and lonely hours when you play show after show around the world，” the frontman Dan Reynolds told Time Out magazine.

成為成功的音樂人本就不易，而要保持在主流音樂圈的輝煌更是難上加難。不過來自拉斯維加斯的搖滾樂隊夢龍正希望用一輪全球巡回演唱會來證明自己并不適用于這個規律。

本次巡演是為了宣傳他們的第二張專輯《迷霧幻境》，該專輯的創作靈感來源于樂隊的真實經歷。樂隊成員們說，幾年前他們還在酒吧駐唱。而現在憑借首張專輯《夜夜迷離》的成功，他們已經是格萊美獎的得主。

“我們的音樂很多都反映了人生道路上的沉浮。當你滿世界地做完一場又一場的演出，你就是在面對人生中最美妙也最孤獨的時刻。”樂隊主唱丹·雷諾茲告訴《消費導刊》雜志。

His lyrics convey those sentiments. Reynolds moans in the song “Gold” about the anxiety that comes after success， “First comes the blessing of all that you dreamed. But then comes the curses of diamonds and rings.”

The Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper praised the new album as “a more complete body of work” than Night Visions， thanks to its raw emotions and style. But Smoke + Mirrors makes another breakthrough—by experimenting with different genres.

“Throughout the album， the different genres come fast and furious—from the New Wave-tinged dance-rock of ‘Shots to ‘Friction， a whirl of Eastern strings， art-metal yammering， R&B; Auto-Tune and electronic knock-hockey，” noted Rolling Stone magazine.

After the success of their first major hit song， “Radioactive” —which spent 87 weeks on Billboards Hot 100 in 2013—expectations were high for Imagine Dragons sophomore album. And not everyone was satisfied with the outcome. The Washington Post found that the new album followed “much the same formula” as Night Visions. But the band swept away all doubts after the first few legs of their global tour.

Theres never a lack of rock n roll and sing-along moments， according to The Seattle Times. “Imagine Dragons learned to be good entertainers playing the ‘Las Vegas Strip， where the energy level had to be high in order to draw a crowd，” wrote the newspaper.

他寫的歌詞傳達著那樣的情感。雷諾茲在歌曲《金子》中唱出了自己成名之后的焦慮：“你先得到了自己夢寐以求的一切，隨之而來的就是名利的詛咒。”

《克利夫蘭誠實商人報》對夢龍樂隊的新專輯褒獎有加，評價其未經修飾的情感和質樸的風格，讓它比第一張專輯《夜夜迷離》“更豐滿”。但新專輯《迷霧幻境》還有另一突破——對不同風格音樂的嘗試。

“整張專輯中各種音樂風格猛烈交織，迅速變換——既有新浪潮舞曲搖滾風的《吶喊》，也有東方風味、金屬式咆哮、節奏藍調與電音雜糅的《摩擦》。”《滾石》雜志評價道。

夢龍樂隊最早的熱門歌曲《輻射》——曾在2013年公告牌百首熱門歌曲榜持續在榜87周——之后，大家對他們的第二張專輯期望甚高。但并不是所有人對新專輯表示滿意，《華盛頓郵報》就認為該專輯和《夜夜迷離》基本走的一個套路。但是夢龍樂隊在全球巡演剛剛進行完前幾場，就消除了所有的質疑。

《西雅圖時報》的文章說，他們的演出從不缺乏搖滾元素和全場大合唱。“夢龍樂隊學會了如何讓自己更受歡迎，在演唱《拉斯維加斯大道》時他們的能量大爆發，成功地取悅了觀眾。”報道中寫道。