Lonerism – Tame Impala ★★★★

Year	Album	Artist	Stars	Score	Genre
2012	Lonerism	Tame Impala	★★★★	82	Rock	Psychedelic Rock	Indie Rock

Tame Impala’s first two records do similar things, creating psychedelic rock that’s influenced by the bands of the 1960s and 70s, with modern edge and youthful energy added on top. 

Innerspeaker was captivating as a whole because of its vaporwave aesthetic and raw, classic rock sound. But while the songs could really rock, a lot of the music was hitting the same note over and over, and the songs felt a little aimless. Kevin Parker’s vocal performance also occasionally fell flat or sounded too much like he was trying to mimic legends of the past instead of paving his own path. 

The musical maturity of Lonerism provides some more clarity and direction to the mix without compromising the trippy, stoner garage rock production. Plus, while listening to Innerspeaker may have been a more memorable experience as a whole album, Lonerism has the more memorable songs and moments. 

Those hits really carry the record. The first and last tracks on the album have never been my favorites, but the record in between is stellar. The combination of the guitars and synths on “Endors Toi” and “Apocalypse Dreams” is exhilarating to listen to. “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards” is a grand, dreamy track with a great vibe. “Elephant” is a fun, blues rock track.  The keyboard on “Nothing That Has Happened…” is really hypnotic. I’ve always wished it was the last track on the album.