REVIEW: Imaginary Cities - Fall of Romance

Instrumentalist Rusty Matyas and singer Marti Sarbit formed Imaginary Cities in 2010 united by the love of soul music. The indie pop band has already released one album and they are back with their sophomore release ‘Fall of Romance’.

The band is based in Winnipeg, Canada, feeling across the songs that feels directly influenced by the city; there is a wispy eagerness that permeates all the song on the album. Not to say that these are a collection of folk jams. ‘Bells of Cologne’ lets a hard hitting guitar solo hit 3/4ths of the way in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5owfgre48uQ

A song like ‘All The Time’ hits a string and chorus crescendo but sounds as effective during the end of the song where it gets tripped down to just an acoustic guitar and vocals. Fall of Romance is filled with these moments. Bells, horns, strings slither in and out adding bone and gristle to what are effectively straight ahead pop-soul songs. That’s not to say that these songs are simple; the songwriting is seasoned enough to ensure that the bigger sound isn’t just covering up deficiencies.

“Get replaced with a synthesizer, they will all be none the wiser” goes the album standout, ‘Silver Lining’. With these strong collections of songs you get the impression that Imaginary Cities are trying to etch their claim as being a genuine alternative to the generic glut of indie pop acts and with"Fall of Romance" they already have.