Tame Impala - Currents

[Catherine Wheel]

From the 2 singles so far it sounds like they have gone in an 80s direction with this new album. Never really saw that coming.

The second single:

[smashingjj]

Whatever, mortal.

[Mals Marola]

really liked this record

only thing i've heard from 'em so far, aside from "feels like we only go backwards" or whatev it's called :X

[Catherine Wheel]

It's the most boring album I've heard all year. It's everything that was horrible and dull about the 80s. The R&B songs sound like watered down 80s Micheal Jackson and Prince. The synth pop isn't much better.

[Catherine Wheel]

Some reviewer said it best when they said "It's not a bad album but does the world really need another synth pop record?"

[D.]

I tried to get into Tame Impala over the years but they just dont tickle my pickle.

If i want psych I'll listen to Warlocks or Dead Skeletons or any number of better bands.

[Catherine Wheel]

Lonerism is amazing. There's some real genius in there.

[D.]

I did sit in a Barnes and noble once and read an article about him in an Under the Radar rag.

[D.]

I mean i saw them open for National and it was fine. But on record? I could listen to Beatles instead of Innerspeaker because Innerspeaker sounds exactly like Beatles.

[Catherine Wheel]

Didn't care much for Innerspeaker.

[Sonic Johnny]

Are you going to backlog 5 months worth of threads during your brief stay

[Catherine Wheel]

I didn't bump up this thread. Mals did. I just responded to him.

Actually if you bothered to look at the dates on the posts that should have been pretty obvious.

Reading is fundamental.

[Mals Marola]

i mean this album only came out like a month ago didn't it
i listened to it on a bus to houston, sounded good to me, & the songs i liked as well

that's about as much as i can say on it for now, aside from adding that i don't listen to a whole heap of the "modern takes on synth pop" or whatever the fuck, unless you count grimes and... i don't know, that record kylie minogue did 10-ish years ago? this album sounded more like an integration of those kind of sounds with the big 60s compressed ringo drum sound he seemed to have been doing already & a certain degree of sincere songwriting

[vixnix]

I tried listening to tame impala a few years ago and had the same reaction as D., they just didn't do anything for me.

[vixnix]

Kina sounded more like lame impala to be honest

[Mals Marola]

Originally Posted by D.

I mean i saw them open for National and it was fine. But on record? I could listen to Beatles instead of Innerspeaker because Innerspeaker sounds exactly like Beatles.

this must be quite a jump from the old stuff then because, aside from kinda having a ringo-y drum sound, it sounds pretty far removed from the beatles

sounds like a more ambient later-period tears for fears record or something, honestly, which i am all about so fuck it

[D.]

I dunno. Isn't Innerspeaker their first album? To me, the songs on that LP are Beatlesesque to the point of plagiarism.

[Mals Marola]

maybe, i'm talking strictly about currents tho

[D.]

Ohhhhhh

Yeah i havent heard it.

[Cool As Ice Cream]

i'm listening to currents for the first time today.
i did not sign up for this. wtf? this is nothing like their (his?) first two albums, which i like.

[Mals Marola]

Originally Posted by Catherine Wheel

Some reviewer said it best when they said "It's not a bad album but does the world really need another synth pop record?"

after listening to the record a few more times, this is just a stupid criticism

music with synthesizers does not automatically equal "synth pop" & as i said before, this is more like post-hurting tears for fears than the human league or whatever. i've heard lonerism by now and i prefer this one

[Catherine Wheel]

This has been a really dissapointing year in music for me. The Tame Impala is garbage except for like two tracks: Nangs and the Moment.

The Weeknd album is only 2/3rds good. He went too much in a pop direction on this one. Real Life, Losers, Dark Times and Angel are horrible. Real Life is corny and sappy. Angel sounds like an 80s power ballad or something that Meat Loaf would have done. Losers is just boring. On Dark Times Ed Sheeran is clearly out of his depth working with the Weeknd.

The new Miguel album is garbage too except for maybe like 4 songs. Way too much alternative rock on that one for me.

[Catherine Wheel]

Originally Posted by Mals Marola

after listening to the record a few more times, this is just a stupid criticism

music with synthesizers does not automatically equal "synth pop" & as i said before, this is more like post-hurting tears for fears than the human league or whatever. i've heard lonerism by now and i prefer this one

It's tagged as synth pop on Wikipedia and rateyourmusic.com. Those are pretty reliable sources.

It's also tagged as disco on Wikipedia which is even worse.

[Mals Marola]

currents is great, gets a little samey maybe, but definitely a new character for the tame impala thing - it's no longer overtly "60s" or anything, even though he'd had elements before that made him current instead of entirely retro, now there's even more in that regard & it just sounds soooo good

[Catherine Wheel]

It's all personal preference. I think synth pop is ok when you mix it with other stuff. But by itself it's nothing more than a guilty pleasure. My friend said that synth pop is basically like a condiment. It's like dressing but it never should be the main dish.

[Mals Marola]

it's kind of knee-jerk, but i don't know i guess i always associated the term "synth pop" with like, human league & madonna so it's always puzzling when i hear it associated with stuff that's a bit darker & harder-hitting like say, d'ms violator or i don't know, this

i know it's semantic but i feel like, if we're gonna gun-to-head classify, there should be some verbal distinction between the Dare!s & Songs of Faith & Devotions of this world

in any case i agree he could have used to perhaps mix it up a bit more but for what it was, it got me interested in the group/project/guy at least

[Catherine Wheel]

I was pretty obsessed with Lonerism for a while. Endors Toi in particular. The drumming on that one is amazing. Really Jimmy Chamberlin league stuff. He's a great musician when he wants to be.

[Catherine Wheel]

Originally Posted by D.

I mean i saw them open for National and it was fine. But on record? I could listen to Beatles instead of Innerspeaker because Innerspeaker sounds exactly like Beatles.

Just listened to Innerspeaker again after not having heard it in a year and I really like it. Does sound a lot like the Beatles but that doesn't really bother me. Lonerism is a lot trippier though. I think I still prefer that one. Innerspeaker rocks harder and is a bit louder.

[Mals Marola]

alter-ego & solitude is bliss are both fuckin great

[Catherine Wheel]

Solitude is probably the best song on the album.