Whenever a band uses elements of a familiar sound from decades past, immediately, they are met with the revivalist tag. Such has been the case for Perth, Australia band Tame Impala who on their debut album Innerspeaker brought to mind late 60's psychedelia and frontman Kevin Parker's reverb soaked melodies were reminiscent of The Beatles Revolver era material. Their second LP, Lonerism, manages to transcend this label of psychedelic revival by still sounding rooted in the spirit of that era's boundary pushing soundscapes, but rather than going for recreation, the band surpasses the work of that era with colorful production that just feels bigger and more expansive than anything that could have been produced decades ago. The stunning sonic character of this record is what jumps out upon first listen more than anything. Often when a band chooses to adopt the psychedelic aesthetic they rely on maximalism to entrance their listeners in a sea of sound. Tame Impala instead rely on incredibly well selected sound and production to give their work such a blissful, hazy feel.
The albums intro track, "Be Above It" starts with a looped chant proclaiming "gotta be above it" backed by a marching drum break that works with the flanging guitar and Parkers echoed vocals to create an intriguing opener that sets the stage for the heavy psychedelia that follows on the track "Endors Toi," ironically meaning "you sleep" in French as this track opens the floodgates to the stimulating sounds that this album provides, not to mention some of the best drum sounds I've heard on a record this year. "Apocalypse Dreams," a song that is carried by a grooving bass line and piano until a breakdown where vocal and guitar harmonies are paired to build up to one of the biggest moments on the record where an expansive jam takes place that paired with the tremendous production is enough to get lost in. In addition to all this heady sonic construction that Parker is able to offer on Lonerism, tracks like "Music To Walk Home By" and "Why Won't They Talk To Me" are quick to remind that he can write a damn catchy pop melody. Perhaps the albums most memorable track, "Feels Like We Only Go Backwards" features a soaring vocal melody that drives the song and brings to mind some of the best work of John Lennon.
Much of what makes an album memorable and arguably a classic is its ability to be multi-dimensional in the sense that it can thematically deal with things that you would expect to sound one way and take them in a much more adventurous direction. As the title suggests, the songs on Lonerism are about isolation, uncertainty, and have an overwhelming sense of longing. In the context of the soundscape that the record provides, these themes seem oddly uplifting and give conviction to the feeling of being lost in your own head. This is a record that is able simultaneously look inward and outward, giving expansiveness to introspection, a modern feel to an aged aesthetic, and suggests that longing for the past while accepting the immediacy of the future is possible.
Grade: A
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