Tame Impala – Lonerism (2012)

And once again here I am writing my occasional blog post and putting off doing a research paper that’s due in t-minus 5 days… With that notion in mind I thought it would be appropriate to review the ever increasingly popular psychedelic rock band Tame Impala’s album Lonerism. Following their earth shattering record Innerspeaker Tame Impala wasted no time in getting back to the studio and recording another album. Kevin Parker (the main engine within Tame Impala) felt there was no need to put pressure on himself after Innerspeaker and to approach Lonerism with the open mind that there were going to be no consequences to what he put out.

Mr. Parker had plenty of time to record Lonerism and he could do it all in the comfort of his own home. He also recorded parts of songs on the road while touring for Innerspeaker. This album is versatile when it comes to today’s standards in music and the way it dominates the pop charts. The structure and flow of this album is not like your normal pop music that you hear on the radio, but it still is just as catchy as anything on the radio today. It’s almost as if someone from the 70’s sent Tame Impala as a message in a bottle telling people in 2010 what pop music should sound like if all goes well in rock evolution.

The opening track “Be Above It” starts out with a repetitive phrase “gotta be above it” that moves with the percussion. The song slowly blossoms around this main idea in a beautiful psychedelic way. “Apocalypse Dreams” starts with sweet piano riff and Parker singing “This could be the day that we push through / it could be the day that all our dreams come true / From me to you / til’ were are the end of just another day”— After the first two versus the song explodes into the chorus while maintaining the same construction of the melody. What really amazes me is the consistency Kevin Parker preserves with the structure of the songs. He adds intriguing melodies and harmonies that swirl around one another.

One of my favorite tunes on this album is “Mind Mischief” which starts out with a really rock n’ roll Led Zeppelin-ish guitar riff. The drums are phenomenal on this track as well because of the interesting fills used. The next song I must mention is one of the singles called “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards.” This song is the epitome of pop and psychedelic clashing with one another. The simplicity of the lyrics tie in well with the Bonham style drums and the synthesizer that whirls around. “Elephant” is the only bluesy song on the track, but serves as a treat for any music enthusiast. I can only imagine how a crowd would react to a live performance of this. The last track “Sun’s Coming Up” reminisces Beatles type vocal layering’s. Parker said he found himself really interested with the way Beatles recorded vocals.

All in all, this album is a must listen to for 2012, 2013, 2014, and so forth. It won’t be a disappointment for anyone because Tame Impala has found a way to stretch across the spectrum of all genres and give something for everyone to listen to.

Spotify bitchez