Tame Impala - 8/10
'Currents' (Fiction Records)
No-one whizzes up acid-frazzled 60s psychedelia with droning electronica quite as deliciously as Kevin Parker's Tame Impala. In 2012, second album 'Lonerism' soundtracked summer festivals, its woozy syth melodies and freaky guitar wig-outs sounding like Parker had captured his hometown of Perth, Australia's sun and taken it on a world tour.
On 'Currents', the pop and electronic quotient is turned up higher, without losing any of its predecessor's winsome, big-hearted aura. At times it echoes Daft Punk at their 'Get Lucky'-est, at others the joyful MOR pop of Phoenix, while resonating with the fuzzy synth 'n' beats of Toro Y Moi.
Picking highlights is hard, but 'New Person, Same Old Mistakes', 'Past Life' and 'Love Paranoia' are rooted in spacey experimental r'n'b, 'Let It Happen' is a quasi-symphonic psych/synth odyssey and 'The Moment' pure aural sunshine, Parker's soaring falsetto knitting together the transition from wonky FM rock to Middle Eastern break-down and back. If the world needs a cure for Seasonal Affective Disorder, 'Currents' is it.
File under: Hip and hippyish Aussie psych 'n' synth opus
Download: 'Let It Happen', 'The Moment', 'Past Life'
Like this? Try: Phoenix 'Bankrupt!' Loyauté/Glassnote/Atlantic
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