Tame Impala – Innerspeaker

"Expectation is taking it's toll."

~ Tame Impala - Expectations

Ever looked at something and at its core everything is sweet all the basic ingredients work but together it falls flat? That’s how I feel about that show “Justified” and this album here. Both have the things I find super sweet, “Justified” has guns, violence and whiskey and Innerspeaker has loud ass guitars, drugged out lyrics, and a whole psychedelic feel. But, both fall flat and it sucks so much when that happens.

Now, Tame Impala are a damn competent band. They know how to play their instruments. Every part is pretty much flawless on it’s own. But, all together it makes a bland shit sandwich. Which is a shit sandwich but it doesn’t taste that terrible so you might forget it sucks while eating it and might even finish it.

I actually like Tame Impala too. I liked them when I first heard them a couple years ago. I thought what they were doing was a fucking joy because going back to the heyday of 60’s psych rock was so much better than everyone else ripping off 80’s tracks. Hell, they still are. See: Black Eye Peas. Fuck, aren’t they just awful?

I think, and here’s the problem, Tame Impala went into the studio for too long. Their music is so much better when it sounds like they just threw some shit together in a garage somewhere in Perth. But, after spending months and months in a studio it’s just too over-produced, over-thought, and over all a bland product.

Zeppelin kicked ass early because they got their albums done in the matter of hours like “Zeppelin 1”. But, when you get to “In Through the Out Door” they took too much time and it gets boring. Same thing happened here. The EP was done super quick and it was awesome. Then Tame spend too much time and over-thought the shit.

But, hey there’s a couple sweet songs on here “Expectations” and “Alter Ego” are just tits and I’ll be listening to them for a long, long time to come. But, the rest will just be filed in the ‘who the hell cares’ section of music.

~SR

3 out of 5 ‘Lame’ Impala jokes avoided, oh wait, fuck.

Album Out Now

Listen

Alter Ego:

Solitude Is Bliss:

Half Glass Full of Wine (Tame’s Awesome Shit):