Tame Impala - Innerspeaker

While it's a place I'd surely love to visit, with the exception of boomerangs and didgeridoos, I can't think of a lot of exciting exports out of Australia. However, they have been known to make some pretty good music, especially lately ( Jonathan Boulet and Richard In Your Mind). Home to The Seekers, AC/DC, The Vines, Jet, Wolf Mother and many others, the Australians are no stranger to rock music. Carrying on the classic rock flag is Tame Impala, who is probably about as classic rock as you can get while still being contemporary. With guitars that would please Hendrix and vocals that bear an uncanny resemblance to John Lennon, it's no wonder that the members of Tame Impala are making a name for themselves. It also doesn't hurt to be touring with MGMT and have past dates with Yeasayer and The Black Keys under your belt.  Releasing their debut album, Innerspeaker, on Modular (arguably Australia's biggest label), the band has certainly skipped to the relative front of the line in terms of international success.

For good reason though, Innerspeaker is a piece of psych rock gold. While it may not stand up to the pop sensibilities of late, and it's probably not the first choice record to throw on at a party, that doesn't take away from the fact this would be great soundtrack to a summer roadtrip, drinking beer out in the sun or passing the joint around. There is a nice diversity to the album, from circular jam tracks like "Solitude is Bliss" to straight forward arena rock like "Desire Be Desire Go" or the dizzying eclecticism of "The Bold Arrow of Time", there is a little something for everyone in the rock department, and these standout cuts show it off. Fundamentally, Tame Impala are all about layers. Nothing is ever left to float on its own and songs that start off with simplicity are soon methodically built into a wall of sound. These layers provide a great pillow for the Lennon-reverbed vocals and John Bonham percussion to operate.  If anything the level of complexity and technical skill displayed on this debut release proves that we can probably expect interesting things from this group in the future. Somewhere between now and then, we hope that Innerspeaker makes it on to a record player near you. If not, check out "Desire Be Desire Go" in digital form below. Old and new, just like Tame Impala.

Tame Impala - "Desire Be Desire Go"