Album review: Tame Impala, Currents

Kevin Parker of Tame Impala.

When Kevin Parker posted early single Let It Happen back in March, he was signalling a bit of a change for the Tame Impala sound. Less guitars, more synth, less rock, more disco, less fuzzy, more dreamy. But though Currents is a departure from the Perth-based act's first two albums, it's still all about psychedelia.

Not really in the vein of the 60s any longer, but something more futuristic, and unconcerned with any preconceptions of the genre.

Fans of his swirling, hypnotising style will still find plenty to get lost in, it's just a different kind of trip, one which crashes right through the psychedelic rock boundaries and into something more groove-based, with pop song leanings - although Parker disturbs any such notions with his unconventional structures and unexpected harmonies.

As a seven-minute opening opus, Let It Happen is really a great taster for what's to follow - gentle siren-like droning, the irrepressible handclaps, submerged middle section that effortlessly but unexpectedly shifts the tonality of the track, the dreamy 80s wash, soaring melodic phrase, the "skipping record needle" section, the Daft Punkian vocals at the end.

These are all drizzled across the rest of the album too, with different inflections.

The Moment has a wonderfully urgent, fast-building, triplet feel, which will make it a festival favourite. There's an 80s movie soundtrack flavour to ballad Yes I'm Changing; Eventually mixes lush hip-hop references and layered electronic with great juxtaposed menace and innocence; the distinctive strident bass riff and accompanying guileless vocals give The Less I Know The Better immediate appeal; Disciples has a lovely Beach Boys-esque buoyancy with falsetto vocals and playful bass interplay; and 'Cause I'm A Man has a nicely exaggerated slow jam quality, and a strong nod to Prince.

Perhaps what's most surprising about Currents is the way it manages to mesh poignant lyrical themes that are searching for the meaning of change and sifting through a relationship break-up, with a sense of optimism - almost a celebration of difficult times as a possibility for progress.

It seems Parker really has embraced his own message - let it happen.

Artist: Tame Impala
Album: Currents
Label: Universal
Verdict: Crashing through psychedelic boundaries.

- TimeOut