Imaginate

About

Taxiride’s 1999 debut made no bones about its bid for regular radio rotation. <i>Imaginate</i>’s first three tracks represented its first three single, with lead single “Get Set” instantly finding a home on the airwaves—and charts—despite, curiously, opening with a sitar-and-tabla homage to George Harrison’s transformative experiences in northern India. Sitar motifs recur throughout, announcing rather than detracting from Taxiride’s not-so-secret weapon of mass appeal: lusciously involved four-part harmonie, lit most brightly by vocalist Jason Singh. The subject of a major-label bidding prior to <i>Imaginate</i>’s release, the pressure was indeed on for the Melbourne quartet to approach something as big as—or hopefully bigger than—The Beatle. To this end, the form <i>Imaginate</i>’s 13 tracks consistently take is that of a garage band with boy-band sensibilitie. It’s a wholesome balancing act struck through with enough emotional edge to imbue melancholic piano ballads like “Let Me Die Young” and especially “Counting Down the Days” with Elton John-esque gravita. .

via Apple Music

The Clerk says

Start your shelf to read the full take →