Like any respected dream or psychedelic band, Tame Impala has plenty of high quality pictures of pastel lighted and reverb soaked live shows. You don't need to use Instagram filters for these.
I didn't want to sound pretentious or incorrect when I described the sonic landscapes of the subject of this Track Genius, Tame Impala, the rock quintet hailing from Perth, Australia . I could go the usual Pitchfork route and grab my big bag of unnecessary adjectives and words like "over-produced" and "dream-pop" that really mean nothing, but we all know I'm better than that (I'm not). Thankfully however, the band did it for me in the soul of conciseness & brevity.
"Tame Impala makes psychedelic hypno-groove melodic rock music"
That's what the band's official website says at least. The description would be perfect, except for the omission of "Incredibly awesome" before it. For indeed, Tame Impala is the beautiful dream-like crossroad where past meets future, and the muses of rock guide you along a vinyl paved road to the top of a cold and windy mountain where the pinnacle of music lies. It is here that Tame Impala exists in an unheard singularity of old and new. Speaking of old, here's a little history on the band.
Tame Impala's aesthetic is a perfect example of what you'll feel when listening to their music.
Tame Impala is the brain-child of lead singer and guitarist Kevin Parker, formed originally in 2004-2005 as a jazzy psychedelic band with drummer Luke Epstein, called The Dee Dee Dums. After a few small awards and local recognition, Epstein left the band, and by late 2007 the band had been renamed to Tame Impala and unveiling of a whole new line-up, including Jay Watson (synth & backing vocals), Julien Barbagallo (drums & backing vocals), and recently Cam Avery (bass) after bassist Dominic Simper parted from the group. After switching up the group dynamic and replacing the two-guitar attack for the more traditional band format, Tame Impala began the nonstop race that is the music game, and they haven't looked back. Signing with Modular Recordings in 2008, the band released a couple of EP's and single's, including their self titled EP that gave but a glimpse of their future brilliance. In 2010, the group released their first album, Innerspeaker, to critical praise and good commercial success. It wasn't even their best effort, yet Tame Impala had already won the hearts of many. What was to come next however, would be something few expected. Releasing their second album, Lonerism, in October of 2012, the critics leveled even more praise, and the people bought even more records. It was easily one of the best albums of 2012, and there were so many great cuts from it, so I had difficulty choosing one song that would summarize the album for anyone still hesitant to give it a listen. However, all the songs are so good and so different, that I realized this wasn't possible, so I ended up picking the song that I've been vibing with the most lately. That would be the infinitely wavy "Apocalypse Dreams".
There's neither an official or fan made video for this song, but I would like to comment on Tame Impala's general aesthetic. Continuing with the psychedelic and vibrant theme, the album & singles artwork for the band, as well as all the media released in general for the group, is the definition of dreamy. Faded with poppy pastels and exploding sharp nostalgia, the beauty of the band extends to their continuity of the sound aligning with the visual. As for the music, it is even more brilliant in every facet. I chose Apocalypse Dreams because of its duality. Beginning with a poppy base melody and a driving drum section, the song continues to be layered with instrumental cues and tempo shifts, sometimes slowing down for a sort of bridge, and then returning to its fast paced dream-rock arpeggio's, as Parker sings about the dream-like apocalypse and making it through life with ambition, and the end of the world. The feeling of despair and loneliness is chilling when superimposed against the heavily dreamy sonic background. The song then slows down for a psychedelic section, where guitar riffs and slides give way to alienating synths and claustrophobic sounds. I wouldn't mind listening to this song as the fiery meteor incinerated my body during the end days, and I definitely don't mind listening to it now. I've barely even begun to describe how wonderfully structured and played this song is, so really it is needed to listen to experience. I'm thinking I'd describe it as "orgasmic" but I also don't want you to stop reading this out of shame. However you'd describe the song and Tame Impala's sound, just don't pass up a chance to listen to them, or this incredible album.
Tame Impala serves up my daily helping of psychedelic life blood, necessary for a balanced diet. Like trap music.
I'd previously written about Parker's work with Melody Prochet on their collaboration, Melody's Echo Chamber, but he has plenty of other projects and collaborations with some great artists. However, where his singular vision truly shines is with Tame Impala, and I hope to see so much more music from them in the future. With their track record, it'll definitely be interesting and fresh.
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