Source: Album Artwork
Kevin Parker had no easy task in creating Tame Impala’s third album Currents. In their previous album, Lonerism, they created the sort of album that people will be talking about for years, one which layered perfection upon more perfection and seemed utterly impossible to beat, and so it’s follow up was naturally met with a great deal of expectation.
Currents is not a faultless album; some of the songs drag on far too long and there are no heavy hitters like ‘Elephant‘ or ‘Feels Like We Only Go Backwards‘. However, none of its faults seem to matter when the silky smooth ‘Cause I’m A Man‘ comes in, or the glorious walking bassline of ‘Yes I’m Changing‘, or the pulverising riff of ‘Eventually‘.
It is one of those rare albums where the individual songs don’t seem to be important. Instead what is most exceptional about the album is the feeling it gives off, the feeling of floating along in a warm sea, bathed in radiant sunlight, utterly immersed in its eclectic, beautiful sounds. The sort of album that you could lay down, plug headphones in and listen to the whole way through, completely forgetting about everything else in the world.
For that reason and that reason alone, this too is an album that people should be talking about for years. We could go on to say that Currents expands on the intricate complexity of Lonerism, making it groovier, fuller, silkier. Or we could say Kevin Parker’s eyes for immediate hooks has done nothing but grow on songs such as ‘Love Paranoia‘, and this entire album will stay in your head for months. But, truthfully, there is no point because Currents is an album which is totally without comparison. It stands totally on its own, taking up every fibre of your being and every one of your senses for every second of its running time.
“It’s getting closer” Kevin Parker sings on ‘The Moment‘. What is getting closer we’re not quite sure as the song breaks down, builds up, fizzles out and suddenly swarms back in with that silky chorus, but we can’t wait.
