Tame Impala released a not so prevalent, although hugely overlooked album in 2010, entitled 'Innerspeaker'. The fact that they're from Perth, Australia instead of Brooklyn, NYC, USA may have something to do with the lack of advertising/airplay/word of mouth. Geographic location aside, Tame Impala have a shot at becoming one of the front runners in the neo-psychedelia age of musicians. MGMT may have gripped the western world with their 2008 debut album Congratulations, but Of Montreal take the reign with their enigmatic twelve album discography. Tame Impala needed to soften the edges, loosen the grip and reach out to the sky for their second album. Lonerism is expected later in the year so we'll have to make do with Innerspeaker and this gem, Apocalypse Dreams. It's a name that cries out psychedelic rock, and Tame Impala sure know how to replicate the late 60's movement.
Apocalypse Dreams is heaps fun, in the sense of heaps heaps fun. The left sided piano is haunting, with a dramatic right sided drum pattern and funky bass. The piano layers and a harmonic vocal enters with synth work. Now Tame Impala have something here. The combination of the low keyed piano and the high pitched vocal works a treat with the funky bass which stands out individually as the most forward piece of instrumentation. Two minutes of this warrants them the ability to shake things up with a synth riff and a left sided guitar before continuing the basic elements. It's a cluster fuck of instrumentation before a sudden close, or a switch off... The psychedelic rock then blasts through the piano and synths are played loud, guitars are shredding and the bass slows respectively. I'm imagining Russia with Bruno as the centrepiece. It's certainly gripping and the powerful synthesizers do justice with the progressive rock drumming. This is an indication of good things to come from Tame Impala, and I can't wait.
~Eddie
