ISSUE #21
The Slow Rush
by Tame Impala
Syrupy-warm and neon-sunset-bright, Tame Impala’s 4th LP is a breezy summer afternoon on a planet with 96 extra colors and an atmosphere comprised primarily of synthesizers.
Kevin Parker, aka Tame Impala. Image courtesy of The Fader.
The Slow Rush marks 10 years of psychedelic dream rock from Australian multi-instrumentalist Kevin Parker. It also represents a gradual yet chameleonic shift in Parker’s sound, from Innerspeaker’s hallucinogenic garage rock to sleeker, more dancefloor-oriented psych pop. Guitars have largely been supplanted by a diverse flora of pianos and synthesizers, and progressive songwriting has been somewhat simplified to allow room for incredibly catchy basslines and carefully layered production. The songs feel denser, every second thoughtfully arranged for maximum sonic engagement. There seems to have been a steady shift in the emotional content of Tame Impala albums over the years as well, and I’m happy to say that The Slow Rush feels brighter and a bit more mature as a whole than previous releases.
For fans of 2015’s Currents, this album should deliver exactly what you’ve been hoping for. Anthemic vocal melodies take the spotlight, supported by melting, warping, filter-sweeping synthesizers and huge, warm bass riffs. During moments it feels like Parker is encroaching on the hallowed ground of pop legends before him - with its melancholic piano backbone, On Track could easily be an acid-washed cousin of an Elton John song - but fossil records of Tame Impala’s garageband origins still abound. Lost In Yesterday skips along waves in a prismatic ocean, buoyed by a nimble bassline and syncopated drums with the perfect amount of fuzzy clatter to them.
I know at least a few legacy Tame Impala fans who are disheartened by the sea-change this album represents, and I can’t claim to have been aboard the hype train the whole way and can’t refute those feelings. I will argue, however, that Kevin Parker has continually pushed the envelope throughout his career, keeping his past on a kite string while boldly striding into tomorrow - as many artists do who have the talent and luck to spend a decade in the public eye.
Tame Impala being their North American tour on May 29th. Click for tickets.
Yes, The Slow Rush is pop music, but it’s my opinion that this album is pulling pop in a direction I can get down with, showcasing the ability to make simpler progressions and catchy vocal hooks come alive with different production choices. I see Tame Impala as an arbiter of genre, a channel in which music theory nerds, psychedelic intronauts and heartbroken youths can sway together, exposed to ideas from the other side. Pop needs this open-mindedness, and I think we can all benefit from giving pop the benefit of the doubt now and then.
Give the album and listen and let us know what you think! My personal favorite tracks are One More Year, Borderline, Posthumous Forgiveness, Tomorrow’s Dust, Lost in Yesterday and One More Hour. What were yours?
As always, thanks for reading! Keep that mind open and those speakers bumping.
♥ Zach
Tbilisi
by Nathan Fake
Tbilisi is a sonic stimulant. It envelops then transports you to a restless dance floor that is equal parts chaotic, disorienting, and serene.
Photo by Laura Lewis
Nathan Fake's first single off his upcoming April 3 2020 album, Blizzards, embraces and builds upon the urgency, fluidity, and heavy-handednesss of 2017's Providence and his 2018 EP, Sunder.
It's been 14 years since the British electronic musician released his debut LP, Drowning in a Sea of Love. Looking back at this album, it signifies just how much of a transformation Nathan Fake's inspirations, techniques, and styles have gone through when compared to 2020's Tbilisi.
Where Drowning invokes feelings of nostalgia, curiosity, and youth (best demonstrated by the track Grandfathered), Tbilisi represents a much more focused, matured palette that is eagerly waiting for the sunlight to fade over the horizon in order to initiate the nose-dive into the weekend.
Tbilisi is 4-minutes of relentless tech house characterized by its beat and the layered synths that resemble the timbre of a glass harp. It feels cold. The kind of cold that only the warmth of another human body can counter. It’s a good sign of things to come.
