The Scene

Aussie psych-guru Kevin Parker is back with the latest offering from Tame Impala. This is a milestone record for the Imps, the transition now complete since ‘Lonerism’ (2012), Tame Impala no longer a ‘band’ and now a ‘project’. This is Parker’s thing, through and through. It always was, he was writing, playing and producing and controlling the whole thing from the start but now the illusion is gone.

‘Currents’ is the third album from Tame Impala, following ‘Innerspeaker’ (2010) and ‘Lonerism’. Coming off the back of a major, super, hyper breakthrough record, there was massive anticipation for this one. Could he repeat the dose? Mate, he didn’t even try.

Instead we’ve been served an incredible record where the psych remains but the guitars have been subbed out for synths. The bandleader is now a beat-laying producer. Parker may still look like a Deadhead but his sunshine daydreams are more focussed now, more precise and deliberate. It’s a drastic change of direction that somehow still feels like a natural progression.

The Songs

Let It Happen – Longest song first, a few funky guitars but mostly focussed on keys, bass and synths. Very elaborate, very cool.
Nangs – A short one built around a repeated line. “But is there something more than that?” Trippy and hazy.
The Moment – Back on the D-floor with the first real power-popper. Albeit a woozy one.
Yes I’m Changing – Slowing the pace, embracing the change. Really beautiful and the percussion keeps it grounded.
Eventually – A little light and dark with some warm vocals. Has some hit potential, but it stays clear of the pop clichés to do a bit of producer-flexing.
Gossip – 55 seconds of warbley grooving with some electric guitar icing.
The Less I Know The Better – A chunky bass-line and some layered vocals anchor a dreamy bit of pop-funk.
Past Life – Part spoken word distortion, part hand-clapping, bass-crunching groove. It’s a friggin’ masterpiece.
Disciples – Short, sweet and energetic. One of the rockier ones here.
‘Cause I’m A Man – Immensely catchy. R&B kinda smooth and funky, defiantly self-deprecating. I dare you not to sing along. I dare you. So good.
Reality in Motion – Another hooky one, there’s no end to the catchiness on this album. Drumming kicks ass on this track.
Love/Paranoia – The kind of vulnerable, blue-eyed electronic soul that Justin Timberlake wishes he could make, but he’d never have the guts/license to go so buzzy on the backing track.
New Person, Same Old Mistakes – One last heart-jab to finish. Brutal bass line coupled with some glittery circus synths. If that doesn’t get you then nothing will. Layered vocals are awesome. Quick bridge and a hypnotic waltz to the end of the needle.

The Vibe

This is so different from what Impala’s done before. Many of the same themes remain, the circle of loneliness and isolation, the breakup songs and the nursing of critical acclaim with issues of self-confidence and the fickleness of success. However this record goes in a completely new direction. Mostly musically, we’ll get to that in a sec, but there’s something else here that hasn’t existed before. Something intangible… let’s call it ‘freedom’.

Kevin Parker’s dropped the illusions that this was anything but his band, his project. With that there comes a sort of confidence in expression that’s joyous to hear – even when it’s coming through in the form of breakup songs. Trading in his guitars for synths means a new sound, it also means fewer boundaries. He’s truly embracing the muse.

Oh, but this is still psychedelia. Don’t think anything else for even a second. ‘Currents’ is trippy and droopy and thick. Thick with feeling and instrumentation. It still rocks in places, but it also rolls. It buoys on a rhythm, it settles on some blues. These are intricate arrangements but they are still catchy songs. Hooks aplenty. As dense as such a creative venture can but, ‘Currents’ is immensely listenable.

Bloody hell though, doesn’t he still sound like John Lennon? ‘Lonerism’ achieved the incredible feat of sounding modern and fresh while also plausibly being made up of lost takes from the Sgt Pepper archives. While that voice still remains, he’s now singing over what is a very contemporary vision. Part of that is a certain insecurity that lends itself to layered vocals and echo effects. Change is a recurring motif.

A new direction? Sure is. And one that’s been fully embraced. Vulnerable in his lyrics but rock-solid in his productions. It’s hard not to listen to this and be swept away by the sheer funkiness, even if it’s far from the usual macho-funk that pervades.

The Music

Where do we even start? The main thing here is the lack of guitars. They show up now and then but only really as complimentary sounds. The riffs are now emanating from the synthesisers at Parker’s disposal, which gives you an immediately different thing. Nothing here is gonna rattle the cages like ‘Elephant’, though there is definitely more than a little ‘Feels Like We Only Go Backwards’ about a few of these tracks, just in a new context.

Let’s call a spade a spade here, Tame Impala’s gone pop. Whatever that means. It’s the greatest sin of the indie musician, to sell out their hipster audience for mindless Top 40 slaves, but here’s the thing… that hasn’t happened. Parker (sorry to the other members of the band, but honestly they’re just touring musicians for this one) has found a way to embrace the popular without losing credibility. That’s a fine line to tread, we’re talking Prince (clearly an influence here), Michael Jackson (ditto), Daft Punk (ditto ditto) and the likes.

But to be fair the hooks have always been there. ‘Feels Like…’ had one of the catchiest choruses in recent years, albeit supported by some chugging bass guitar – still a factor here. Instead of building on top of a rhythm though he’s building beneath and around it, if that makes sense. It’s not better and it’s not worse. You won’t find many bigger proponents of blues-rocking psych than this here Wildcard and yet I love this album. The genius is that the man has now produced (key word there, his talents in the studio chair are immense) sterling examples of each.

Nah, wait. The production has to be admired in more than just a throwaway line. Take the example of the opening track, ‘Let It Happen’, which was also the first single released. There’s this point near the end where it’s like the song gets stuck on this half-beat loop, which feels jarring at first until the song begins to build up around it with strings and all manner of sounds. It’s completely incredible. Not to mention the way the chorus blends out into the bridge, or how the loop is teased earlier, the layered vocals at the end or the sheer mastery of the various instruments. Or the other 12 tracks. No wonder it’s taken three years to make, this is some intricate stuff.

Revelations

At what point do you realise that you can play pretty much any instrument you find? Is there any soul-selling that necessarily precedes that moment?

Quit worrying. Let it happen.

“’Cause I’m a man, woman. Don’t always think before I do”.

People change but not always by enough. Settle.

“But I know that I’ll be happier. And I know you will too. Eventually.”

So… what do Tame Impala do next?

Finale

This is a major statement by a major artistic force. Perth’s finest. For a dude whose lyrics so often centre around insecurity and loneliness, he’s sure got plenty of guts to shrug off what was a brilliantly earned reputation as a psych-rocker to then bring out something as good as ‘Currents’ and establish himself (and his band, sorry) as this whole other thing.

The best of them are always ahead of the curve though. They don’t wait for us to tell them that we’re ready for something different, they smack us in the face with it. And we adore them for it… as soon as we’ve recovered from the shock.

There’s a big difference between being this up-and-coming rock star and being some singular genius. Boundaries disappear, opportunities arise. There aren’t too many things we like better than pigeon-holing our genre musicians but those with the ability to transcend are those with longevity and freedom.

‘Currents’ is a stunning album full of toe-tappers and head-nodders. Stuff that’ll have you grooving all over the place. It’s a departure in some ways but it’s also a continuation in others. Trippy music, catchy grooves, killer rhythms. They all remain. The context has changed, the sound has changed but the quality is still there. Basically, we oughta just let this dude do whatever he wants and we’ll all be better for it.

Here’s hoping he has a little more luck in the romance fields between now and the next record though, poor chap.