Innerspeaker – Tame Impala ★★★½

Year	Album	Arist	Stars	Score	Genre
2010	Innerspeaker	Tame Impala	★★★½	77	Rock	Psychedelic Rock	Indie Rock

Tame Impala burst onto the scene as a rock band from a bygone era, and quickly became a go-to for music fans looking for a good trip. Calling back to the psychedelic ambience of the Beatles, early Pink Floyd and Doors, and playing early rock and roll guitar riffs, Kevin Parker as Tame Impala did more than just replicate the sounds of the 60s and 70s. He enhanced them with a modern, alt-rock twist and youthful energy. 

Innerspeaker is probably Tame Impala’s most straightforward rock album, as the band matured on their next two releases and incorporated more commercial elements and structure to the mix. The raw, gritty, garage rock sound of Innerspeaker easily draws you in, while the laid back drums, humming keyboard chords, echoing guitar riffs and groovy bass lines and fuzzy vocals form colorful and hazy landscapes when executed perfectly. 

The first half of the record is really strong, with “Desire Be Desire Go,” “Alter Ego” “Solitude is Bliss” and “Why Won’t You Make Up Your Mind” as standouts. On the back half of the record,  the blues-influenced guitar on “The Bold Arrow of Time” is so convincing it’s hard to believe it wasn’t clipped from a 60s song, and the instrumental track “Jeremy’s Storm” does give you some a jam-band at Woodstock vibes. 

Almost every song is quick in tempo and follows a similar, successful formula — hitting you right away with a nifty rhythm guitar part, adding in a quick but simple drum track, and building through the verse, with some enjoyable guitar soloing placed on top. Because of that, a lot of the music does hit the same notes and emotions over and over again, and while they all catch your attention early, the tracks seem a little aimless. Kevin Parker’s vocal performance also, while interesting and appropriate for the aesthetic, occasionally comes across as flat or emotionless.