Tame Impala – Currents

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Listening to Currents for the first time you slowly come to a realisation that the droning guitars of 2010’s Innerspeak and 2012’s Lonerism are long gone. Some things still remain, however. The wall of sound and the aching falsetto that has echoes of Brian Wilson are still here. Though, the pretence that Tame Impala’s sound was that of a band indebted torock heroes from the 60’s is lone gone. Currents is a step in a new direction and it completely succeeds.

While Kevin Parker, again playing nearly everything on this album has himself played down the fact that Currents is a break-up album, you can’t shake the feeling that it is. Every track oozes heartbreak. More than that, it’s a break up with whatever convention Tame Impala had and that wasn’t very much convention to begin with.

The driving bass lines and indie guitars have been replaced with dreamy synthesisers and R’N’B drum beats. Proving that Tame Impala’s sound can encompass anything. From rock to dance, to distorted sounds that don’t even sound like music. This is the new sound of psychedelic music.

While things may have gone missing, Currents is a heartbreaking album that and shows a completely new side to Tame Impala. Where do they go next?

By Rob McCance

FOR FANS OF: The Beatles, Brian Wilson, Pink Floyd