Friday, 28 September 2012

tame impala

The new release 'Lonerism' by Tame Impala is proving their psychedelic influences are becoming more adventurous. Their vintage garage psych sound has got more melodic and the textures within the sound are cleverly layered around the song. Interestingly the new songs have been written while touring so that may have given Kevin Parker the dream like sequences that come with the ever changing locations and sense of isolation you experience when on the road. That or he's been listening to, and smoking loads more classic stuff on the tour bus.
Either way it's working out good. The first track from the album, 'Apocalypse Dreams' is more than a slight nod to the Beatles with it's Lennon distant vocal style to a McCartney like violin bass sound and Peppers Abbey Road era arrangement and production, there's also really a clever construction to the song with even a harpsichord sequence. Now when was the last time you heard one of those? In fact they seem to have chucked the lot in on this track. A classic in the making, although maybe slightly problematic played the same way live.
But Tame Imapala are not just rehashing vintage pop because these guys are playing to a whole new generation who yearn for some new experiences from their sound and this is definitely connecting. As one commenter said "just what we need right now".
That's right. Here it is.