Tame Impala - Lonerism

As far as retro copyists go, Tame Impala – aka Australian multi-instrumentalist Kevin Parker – is talented enough to convince some that he’s doing something courageous, inspired and important with the source materials but scrub a little harder and you’ll find the same schmaltzy, saccharine-voiced modern take on the harmonies, sprawling effects and bonged-out fuzz of countless 60s and 70s psych regularly spewed onto Pitchfork’s digital pages.

Listening to Tame Impala’s second album, Lonerism, is like looking into that busted up family mirror in the hallway one last time before sticking it out for special uplift, playing out like a synth-heavy ‘Nuggets’ but sanded down and planed of its edges. We’ve mined the past long enough; let’s move on already.