Number 3: Currents by Tame Impala
Release: July 17th, 2015
Genre: Synthpop
Favorite Tracks: New Person, Same Old Mistakes, Yes I'm Changing, Let It Happen
Where I heard it:
One of the most successful artists of the past decade, Tame Impala is a case where I heard their music long before I knew who they were. It must have been around late 2014 when I regularly heard the songs Elephant and Feels Like We Only Go Backwards on my local alternative radio station, 93.3 the X. While they caught my attention enough to add them to a couple playlists of mine, I didn't have enough interest to fully delve into Tame Impala's catalog just yet. Not long after, it seemed like everybody I knew was talking about Tame Impala. I caught wind over various internet outlets that Tame Impala's most recent album Currents was incredibly well-received by critics and listeners alike. As the years went on and the chatter never subsided, Currents slowly worked its way up my list of albums to listen through. It all came to a head right at the beginning of 2021, when one of my best friends Peter was holding a small get-together to see him off before leaving for Marine boot camp. We comprised a group playlist for the occasion, and Peter included a handful of selections from Currents. Most notably, I remember hearing Let It Happen for the first time, taken completely aback by its mid-song shift before marveling at its genius. When Peter informed me it was a Tame Impala song, this was the catalyst that drove me to action: I absolutely had to listen to Currents. We arranged a date a few days later for a listening party, and before I even pressed play, the album already had incredibly heavy emotional connotations, with songs that I was able to bond with Peter over in his final hours as a civilian. As it turns out, Currents was the perfect album for this time period, ultimately becoming a large part of the grieving process throughout Peter's absence. Currents spoke to me like few other albums have, at it absolutely deserves its spot this high on my list.
I know you don't think it's right
I know that you think it's fake
Maybe fake's what I like
The point is I have the right
Not thinking in black and white
I'm thinking it's worth the fight
Soon to be out of sight
Knowing it all this time
Going with what I always longed for
Feel like a brand new person
But you'll make the same old mistakes
~ New Person, Same Old Mistakes
What to expect:
Mastermind behind the Tame Impala project, Kevin Parker is often the sole visionary of Tame Impala's releases, from the recording of each individual instrument to the mixing in post at the studio. Although Parker tours with a live band and conscripts help from other musicians on some tracks, Tame Impala largely remains a solo endeavor of Parker's. In fact, Currents was the first of his three studio albums at the time to be entirely produced by Parker from head to toe. Tame Impala was already adorned as an indie and psych rock darling following 2010's InnerSpeaker and 2012's Lonerism, but Parker had a desire to challenge his expectations as a musician with his third installment. Leaning in to the electronic and synthesized elements of his previous works, Parker also took songwriting influence from Fleetwood Mac in creating narrative, episodic songs for Currents. You can hear these similarities in songs like The Less I Know The Better and Disciples that possess the same lustful passion heard in Fleetwood Mac classics like Everywhere and You Make Loving Fun. Parker's heighted attention to detail in his songwriting provide some of his most intimate and resonant lyrics to date. Revolving primarily around the themes of time's rapid and steadfast progression, the wistful remorse of past loves, and personal fulfillment through self-actualization, his words are candid and earnest, unafraid to criticize himself for the mistakes he's made in life. These subjects inherently carry substantial emotional weight as it is, but Parker intensifies those feelings through vocal falsettos like in Yes I'm Changing and overdubbed harmonies that accompany Love/Paranoia, evoking the strongest possible reaction from the listener. Currents didn't necessarily invent the model for modern synthpop, but it damn well popularized it. Currents eases off the auxiliary instruments and instead replaces them with electronic drum patches and emphatic synth chords that gives the music a more digital feel, while still preserving the spirit of classic Tame Impala. In contrast to notable hits like Solitude Is Bliss and Feels Like We Only Go Backwards, songs like Reality In Motion and New Person, Same Old Mistakes mirror the same compositional strategies of their predecessors, but through a computerized lens that helps reinvent Tame Impala's sound. With little indication of such a transition, Kevin Parker transformed from a multi-instrumental mogul to one of the industry's most in-demand DJs after the release of Currents. Was it for the better? Well, that courageous leap gave us Currents, so I've gotta say I'm in favor. As far as I'm concerned, the more exposure for Kevin Parker, the better.
I caught a glimpse, I'm going after it
They say people never change, but that's bullshit
They do
Yes, I'm changing, can't stop it now
And even if I wanted I wouldn't know how
Another version of myself I think I've found
At last
And I can't always hide away
Curse indulgence and despise the fame
There is a world out there and it's calling my name
And it's calling yours, too
~ Yes I'm Changing
Why it's my favorite:
Life comes at you fast in your mid-to-late 20's. I'm sure you can relate. One minute you're under the tutelage of your superiors, and the next you're thrust into the great beyond. The fear of the unknown is one of my greatest unbecomings as an adult, and I've always viewed change as an enemy to be avoided at all costs. I know I'm not alone in that phobia, but sometimes you really get isolated on that island where you feel you're the only one. When my friend Peter left for the Marines, I was confronted with that anxiety head-on, and my response was mostly that of denial and panic. I was at a significant loss of what to do about something I had no control over. Then came Currents - this poignant, eloquent album that perfectly expressed the sentiment of my situation, and I luckily had the opportunity to share it with one of the most important people in my life. Once Peter officially shipped off, I desperately clung to Currents as a means to capture the company of Peter through association. There were definitely times across the first few weeks of 2021 where I'd play songs from Currents and break out in tears because they'd remind me of Peter. It seems kind of dramatic and overplayed, but I hadn't really experienced anything like that up to that point in my life. I deeply missed my friend. I still do. Currents had such an integral role in comforting my pain and worry during this time, and I believe that's attributed to Parker's cautiously optimistic outlook throughout the album. None of the songs necessarily reach a resolution in their conflict, but instead look toward the horizon with hopeful intentions. Parker humbly acknowledges his faults and setbacks, approaching them with faith that he will eventually triumph over them. I've since taken that message to heart, viewing life as a whole with the perspective of patience through the storm. No matter what challenges life may throw at you, it's all part of becoming a better and more understanding version of yourself. I'm not sure if I would've came to that conclusion had it not been for Currents. Perhaps it was just grounding for me to hear it through a medium that connected with me the closest. This album represents my coming-of-age into the latter part of my 20's, teaching me that it's okay to let things from the past go and embrace the uncertainty of the future. I don't know how often music changes people's lives, but this is one instance for me where an album did exactly that. What more constitutes Currents as one of my favorite albums ever?
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