The Slow Rush - Tame Impala: Review
is the Australian psychedelic rock and pop outfit of singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Kevin Parker who emerged in the first half of the 2010's as one of the premiere indie bands. The bands 2012 record Lonerism went down as one of the most critically acclaimed rock albums of the decade, but their 2015 record Currents paired with its mega-hit The Less I Know The Better became a massively successful commercial album and shot the band into super-stardom. Kevin took an extended break before finally gearing up to release a follow-up record and here five years later we have The Slow Rush.
Review By Lavender:
This is my most anticipated album of 2020, there is just no question about it. Tame Impala got off to a great start with the innovative and explosive Innerspeaker in 2010 but two years later they entered the stratosphere. Their sophomore record Lonerism is one of the great modern rock albums and just last month I called it my 8th favorite album of the entire 2010's as it expertly blends together the world of psychedelic rock and indie with a brilliant touch of songwriting expertise that is absolutely irresistible. Kevin Parker made a huge change to the sound of Tame Impala when he released the third record Currents in 2015, and while many fans were grumpy over the switch at the time the record has aged like fine wine and even I have to admit I didn't give it the credit it deserved at the time even though I did enjoy it. After five singles, with my favorite of the bunch Patience inexplicably cut from the final tracklist I was incredibly excited for this record as the singles served as an excellent foundation to build on, and now that The Slow Rush is here there is only one conclusion I can reach: it lives up to the hype.
Given that the excellent Patience didn't make the track list here we start with Borderline and catchy driving indie pop tune that I thought was decent as a single. Kevin clearly heard some of the public's complaints about the track because there is a new mix and additional instrumentation on the album version that turns up the dial to 10. The new mix includes some ethereal key riffs in the background, even punchies drums and so much texture blended in to support the already insanely catchy refrain at the core of the song, this is exactly what I wanted and Kevin delivered. The next single gets even better with lyrically perfect vocally explosive It Might Be Time. This ballad about everyone around Kevin moving on features soaring vocal harmonies on its exceptional hook that perfectly meshes with the keys for a rousing and shimmering high point on the record that I love just as much today as I did when I first heard it.
Next up was the two part Posthumous Forgiveness which starts off with a really cool winding composition featuring some insanely good percussion and strange desert rhythms that I can't get out of my head still to this day. The second half of the track is a slower more overtly emotional piece with some more fantastic lyricism and one of Kevin's softer vocal performances on the record. And the final single was the tight and groovy track Lost In Yesterday whose biggest triumph is the insanely slick bassline that kicks the track off. This is one of the simpler and catchier songs on the record and it executes this job perfectly.
So after hearing all the singles they certainly seemed to predict a lyrically sharp record full of intricate instrumental palettes with slick synths and incredible drums, and that is exactly what it delivers. One More Year is the opener and I have to give credit to Kevin on the killer lyrics here as once the long instrumental build-up works its way into the song he hits with some reverb heavy vocals paired with echoey backing harmonies. Once he reaches the anthemic lead vocal refrains I just can't help but want to shout alongside him. Instant Destiny is a track that is just that, instant. The hook on the song is snappy and perfect and its paired with a dense dreamy instrumental. The best moment on the track is it's incredibly bridge that builds up a ton of momentum for the song to absolutely demolish its final moments. Next up is Breathe Deeper which opens up with a crazy smooth keyboard phrase that is an instant attention grabber. I love the sheer confidence in the hook which is yet another catchy one, the track also has an instrumental switch-up that leads into a wild fuzzed out guitar line paired with a tight drum loop to lead the song out.
My complaints about the record are pretty thin, but not nonexistent. The build-up to the opening song One More Year really takes its time developing, but I think the weakest song on the album is Tomorrow's Dust. The track isn't bad and I like some of the sounds the instrumental has to offer quite a bit. But at five and a half minutes I definitely get past the honeymoon phase long before the track is over. It does have some sweet moments particularly the ascending pre-chorus but it is definitely one of the loosest songs here and one of the only ones that I don't think uses its length very well. On Track is the very next song and it does have one of my favorite progressions on the record although it does kick off pretty slowly. Some absolutely killer percussion kicks off in the second half, as a whole the track has a lot of different segments and emotions that come in a wide variety of qualities.
One thing you absolutely shouldn't do is count this record out when you get to its final leg, because if you think you've seen everything Kevin has to offer you are sorely mistaken. It kicks off with Is It True and the GROOVE on this track I just need somebody to hold me back. The song is absolute butter from start to finish and its falsetto refrains are sugary sweet and make for an absolutely irresistible hook. If you can somehow resist dancing to this song when it comes on you need to seriously consider asking yourself if you might be a robot. Glimmer is a short 2 minute mostly instrumental interlude but that doesn't mean you should overlook it. The song is a slick, catchy and bright tune that serves its exact purpose for a perfect length of time at just over two minutes, and once you break into the albums closer you'll see why it was necessary to have a sweet little break in between.
The closing track of the record One More Hour is absolutely a religious experience. From its glittery piano ballad moments to its ethereal, explosive walls of percussion the instrumental is a constantly evolving blissful and hard-hitting masterwork. Kevin's ability to vocally switch between intimate and beautiful moments to anthemic and explosive chanting is on full display here. The song is a multilayered, multi-faceted and unstoppably inventive and closes the record off in the perfect all-encompassing way.
The Slow Rush was worth the wait and the time Kevin Parker clearly put into making sure every little moment of the record clicks, and as a complete listen it is an absolute treat from start to finish. Despite the increasingly big shows Kevin is asked to fill as Tame Impala continues to collect critical acclaim and commercial success he is always capable of rising up to the occasion and this record is no different. The depth of his compositions and the passion of his vocal performances are as clear as ever and there are more than enough highlights spread across the tracklist here to warrant considering it not just a contender, but the headlining candidate for Album Of The Year so far in 2020. 9/10
