Score 9/10
Written by: David Williams
Kevin Parker, the driving force behind the Neo-Psychedelic Australian Rock outfit Tame Impala, is a self-proclaimed introvert. He also happens to be an extremely talented and influential musician. His sophomore LP, Lonerism, released in 2012, is a 51-minute rainbow-tinged sonic trip, one of the best innovative depictions of loneliness and reflection over the last ten years, with a sound that made a wave that reverberates to this day through multiple genres.
Parker is like the mad scientist Dr. Frankenstein mixing potions of sounds, creating a monster of pure hallucinogenic bliss. On the record, you will hear bright, otherworldly synths, deep bass lines, and guitar riffs that go from heavy to wavy, sometimes even in the same song. Bringing this music channeling collection together, you sense that the environment can almost bend around you.
The album's sounds are pushed to the forefront for the entire runtime of the record, propelling signals of all colors through your mind. Parker's sonic paintbrush strokes move with the ease of a Pablo Picasso in his prime, transporting the listener through a sonic kaleidoscope of songs floating through beautiful patterns of exuberant textures for your musical pleasure.
Photo by: James Richards IV
The lyrics, while not taking a backseat by any means, are in the background by design, with Parker recording most of the vocals with a lower registry keeping the instrumentation front and center. The melodies on Lonerism stick to your mind like a baseball in a catcher’s mitt. Kevin also delivers the vocal harmonies so sweetly and decisively that they can elicit memories of a vintage Beatles song of yesteryear. In this instance, he wanted to bring more pop influences into his music from his debut Innerspeaker.
The concept of Lonerism hits you in the head like a hammer from the cover art. The picture, captured by Parker himself, is that of the exterior gate of the Luxembourg Garden in Paris, France. The photo strings together the story of isolation with a person looking behind a barred fence at people laughing, connecting and being present in the moment.
The pure essence thematically of the entire record is “Keep on Lying.” The song laces pulsating synth chords and ambient sounds, but by the end of the track, it transitions to a party where we can hear jovial people engaging with each other and connecting, yet the sound drowns out the words they are speaking. This leads us to the social disconnection of the narrator also attending the party; he is surrounded by people yet completely alone. Social and suffocating in isolation, all at the same time, are trying desperately to come out of his shell, craving the feeling of freedom by being himself.
Being a loner is not just a black and white issue of people never wanting to be around others; there are layers of grey weaved inside. Introverts still aspire to connect to a community and to have social interactions, which are incredibly important for growing as a person. So how can one strive to be better when you aren’t allowing yourself to be in uncomfortable situations from time to time that involve you leaving the house to meet new people?
The song "Why Won't They Talk to Me" touches on a realization of needing human interaction: "Destined to be, lonely old me/Whoops-a-daisy, I thought I was happy." Clear organ keys with pulsating spacey synths shoot across with a comet's speed and a star's brightness. "Solitude is Bliss," a record from Innerspeaker, finds Parker at peace with being in only the presence of himself. The solitude he once found has turned into seclusion and withdrawal from the world around him, causing him to try to be part of a community, but the only problem is he doesn't know how. The alienation of not knowing how to engage with people only intensifies the feelings of loneliness.
One of the best examples of distilled psychedelia lies within “Apocalypse Dreams,” which is a mushroom trip of echoing vocals shelved out into oblivion. You get the sense you are in a dream-like state, drifting out into the abyss of the color spectrum.
Photo Courtesy: Zak Kaczmarek
“Feels Like We Only Go Backwards” is Kevin starting to come into his own with his effortlessly flowy melodies. His pop anthem chorus is a glimpse into the ability of what he will be capable of from the time this song came out up until the present day.
Parker’s groovy, hypnotizing guitars and smooth bass lines can be enchanting, especially in “Mind Mischief,” a song about Kevin being under a spell of a woman he deems is playing with his heart but hopes she can choose him, although maybe he will be happy. The song closes out with psychedelic riffs that can put you in a trance.
Tame Impala’s first significant hit globally came stomping in with the thick rock riff of “Elephant.” The lyrics are about egoism getting the best of someone, eventually getting their comeuppance. The result turned out to be a fun, complex, and durable song that will withstand the test of time in Kevin’s discography.
The artistry of his textured dense sonic psychedelically from the one-person band of Tame Impala fits perfectly with the topic of isolation. He eloquently speaks on his social awkwardness of being physically conscience but not mentally engaged when around a large group of individuals and brings to the forefront his feeling associated with being an introvert. Kevin Parker created a color palette of sound, making this his best record and one of the best albums in any genre over the last decade.