Tame Impala - Lonerism (2xLP)

The mind behind the madness of Tame Impala belongs to Australian Kevin Parker. A man who paints himself as a beleaguered stoner, but is able to pull off feats of psychedelic genius with ease. Lonerism, their followup to 2010's Innerspeaker, travels in the same streams of 60s influenced rock, but avoids sounding completely retro. Some of that is due to Parker and co-producer Dave Fridmann's work behind the boards. They creatively employ plenty of effects, as well as play with the arrangements the way someone making electronic music would, not rock. The drums are given plenty of space while vocals are layered on top of each other. Parker channels a bit of Lennon with his voice, its hazy intonation pulling you gently into the fold. It seems that Tame Impala are intent on enveloping you with their sound. Heavily phased synths lead the way for Farfisa organs and clouds of tape echo to invade your ears. If you've been swimming in chill waves perhaps you should take a few steps to the left and indulge in some Tame Impala. These psychedelic futurists have just what you need.