Currents
Interscope/Modular Records
Back in 2002 a wise old man commented on how bands these
days were selling their guitars and buying turntables instead. Band leader and
psych-rock mastermind Kevin Parker has decided that rather than picking up a
turntable he would opt for a synthesizer instead. For longtime fans of the
Australian outfit, their latest record “Currents” will act as a bit of a
surprise. The newest record features very little guitar work and relies on
heavy synths, arpeggiators, and various vocal effects to expand Parker’s nasally
falsetto. The record seems to be the result of Kevin Parker experimenting with
his sound, but also being unsure of where he wants to take it just yet.
“Currents” undoubtedly features some of Tame Impala’s most
transfixing work yet. The seven minute opening track entitled “Let It Happen”
shows Parker’s newfound mastery over layered synth. He takes a sugary pop hook
and pushes it through stages of droney repetition, layers it under an organ
piece typically heard in a church, and even pairs it with a seldom seen crunchy
guitar lick. The track is as maximalist a psychedelic rock track as you will
find and leaves you in a daze of ecstasy and bliss. The atmosphere of
candy-coated elations is a state I found myself leaning in and out of
throughout the record, but just didn’t find myself in enough of the time.
The hooks on this record were essential because “Currents”
is much more of a pop album than a psychedelic rock record. Tracks like “The
Moment” and “The Less I know the Better” feature catchy choruses to match the
synth work that lays the very foundation of the record and result in great
tracks. A funky electric bass grooves through these tracks like an adhesive
holding everything together when it wants to burst in many different exciting
directions. However, on the second half of the record the tracks begin to lose
their steam. “Currents” goes through a lot of different tones and sound
compressions, yet the tracks still seem to end up being predictable. They
crescendo through ballad phases where Kevin Parker sings about isolation,
relationships, and self-actualization before implementing a larger dynamic
range with a deep bass synth to create such an effect. Riddled throughout this
record are shorter instrumental tracks. I see this as a risky move because it makes
creating a cohesive project more challenging, but it has been done successfully
before (see Pet Sounds). I think Parker does a really good job weaving these
short instrumentals together. Most of these tracks are lush and could have been
stand out tracks if they were fleshed out a bit more.
This album is riddled
with moments worthy of praise but one thing became very obvious as the album
carried on. I couldn’t help but be
struck by the idea that Kevin Parker seems to struggle to write a truly catchy
pop hook. This was compensated for with heavy vocal effects in order to create
a dense sound that comes off as cheesy 80s pop music a lot of the time. “Lonerism”
was a the perfect medium between the sounds that bookend Tame Impala’s
discography. The heavy distorted vocal effects compliment music that is
swirling with psychedelic guitar and melody, but on “Currents” Kevin Parker
seems to go for his best impression of Beach House which payed off some of the
time, but not all of it.
6/10
-
T.J.K.
7/16/2015
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