New Tame Impala album "Currents"--thoughts?
Casteneda
100 Posts
Curious to hear the struts opinion on the new Tame Impala. I'm still undecided about it. Largely absent are the heavy drums and guitars from the last two albums, replaced by a lot more synths, and programmed beats. There are a few good pop songs in there I suppose. A few of the songs remind me of Tears For Fears (!!!). Thoughts on it?
Comments
Pond though? Yes.
Now he sounds like this:
I give him mad props for evolving. Sonically the album is very unique, and his influences are much less obvious. He's growing as an artist, but the pop sensibilities that he's moving towards is where people are a little thrown off.
However it makes perfect sense to me. I think you all have to realize how much money pop music makes. I'm pretty sure that Britney Spears music makes more money than Dungen ever made. I've seen Tame Impala live this year and last year, and I can tell you that personally his live music pales in comparison to his albums.
However visually the live show was just below the Flaming Lips. Changing his sound up is going to make him and his crew much more money and allow them to tour in much bigger arenas then they were before. Right now he's a total kid in a candy shop enjoying life, and he's still a sonic whiz kid in the studio. Having fun, and trying new things. He's trying to get his name up in the Pop music realm, and get off of the rock radio stations.
Can you blame him? Do you think the Rock audiences were fully embracing their music?
I don't mind his transformation. If anything he's been trying to figure out his musical identity. Just like any young musician. If the music is good, and this new album isn't necessarily bad. Just not as good as what he did on the last two stellar albums.
You know what this new album reminds me of? Todd Rundgren.
- spidey
- D
And I'm pretty sure the chief of a wall street investment bank makes more than Britney, so if dollars is what dude is aiming for perhaps he should get on the intern program at Goldman Sachs.
I can never hear this story about chasing cash through music being an end goal. No one ever picked up a guitar with that as the prime driver.
So once dudes are all and only about payout, I'm out.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra also just gave up psych rock and went in a more pop direction. To much more success in my opinion:
- spidey
The previous two albums were much more original. If anything he's fallen back to the same 80s synth pop beats that a billion people are doing. Shit sounds like a ten year old Scissor Sisters album in places.
No, you're right on this. What I meant was that he was trying something different for him compared to his last two albums, but overall it sounds not so original.
As ever, the dynamic between artistic integrity and commercial necessity is intriguing.
I recall Def Leppard, back in the heady days when NWOBHM really was new, ditching that bludgeon riffola warts 'n all approach and making that sanitised, slick and inoffensive album with 'Hello America' on it.
A conscious grab at the dollar, definitely NOT 'artistic progression', it was sickening to me and they got duly abandoned.
Of course they cared not, and made that paper.
On the other hand, the lad from Talk Talk moved in the opposite direction. Not my cup of tea, but he will always have my admiration for the retention of freedom of artistic expression. But he did not get my dollar.
Now I like to view this dilemma through the prism of an imagined meeting between Rupert Holmes and his A&R man.
Man: Rupert, loving this song, we wanna release it as the single. That Pina Colada song.
Rupert: it's called 'Escape'.
Man: whoa hold on, Rupie. The hook is Pina Colada. That's what everyone will remember. Gotta be called The Pina Colada song.
Rupert: but you don't understand, it's all about one man's relationship with himself and his woman, and how they both need to escape the banality of their lives.
Man: ok Rupe, how about we call it The Pina Colada Song, and put Escape in brackets after?
Rupert: reverse that and we can deal.
Man: ok, done. Now about this bar called O'Grady's. My boy Pat has a bar uptown called O'Malley's and if you can change the word, you and me Rupie, free beers for life. Nahmsayin'?
Rupert: uh.....yes.
There's always a happy medium.
YES. Couldn't put my finger on it.
Thing that leaves me cold about the whole faux-80s sound is that it seems to be a contrived effort, by all folls involved. I am left thinking it's not where they are truly at, musically. I guess there were one or two who kicked it off, who genuinely loved the sound and did it well, but there's just too much of it around now.
It was the same with the retro Ronson/Winehouse sound from years gone by, which worked perfectly for Amy's voice and doomsday lyrics, but sounded forced once the sound had become "Hot" and everyone was dickriding it.
I agree about it being brave to go somewhere else artistically, but the direction isn't groundbreaking if the sound is already being done elsewhere. I mean, Miles going electric is the kind of move that really takes an artist somewhere else.
Product placement in music. As long as it's subtle, why not?
Janis Joplin was onto a good thing with Mercedes. Wait, that wasn't so subtle.
Prince gets to shop for free at the Five and Dime.
Redman should at least expect to get hooked up with fries por vida at KFC for that D'Angelo jernt.
Paul Weller should have an infinite Oyster card.
Bold and grand move by Spandau Ballet who alas failed to corner the commodities market but still get blessed everytime there is an Olympics.
etc.
I didn't care for the rest