Tame Impala: Deadbeat

I love that the opening track, "My Old Ways", on Tame Impala's [Tape Op #95] new album, Deadbeat, starts with what appears to be a rough iPhone demo. There are slight pauses before section changes, giving the impression that the track is still in its infancy. Moments like this, and others, like hearing a mic stand being moved while still in record, serve as a nice ballast to a highly polished collection of catchy and danceable tracks. Fantastic melodies and instrumental hooks, lush vocals, disco-era, reggaeton, and driving trancey-electro grooves, bubbling synths, ethereal pads, and a variety of interesting echo and reverb choices make this an enjoyable listen throughout.

There are moments of Beach Boys, Issac Hayes, The Orb, Panda Bear/Animal Collective [Tape Op #156], glimpses of Daryl Hall & John Oates' "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)", hints of John Lennon, Rival Consoles [#141], Suzanne Ciani [#148], and perhaps someone drove by the studio with Talking Heads [#153, #79] playing on their car stereo while Parker was recording Deadbeat. Influences are inevitable, and when used in a way that nods to them along the album journey, like road signs pointing in this direction or that, they make for a richer listening experience.

Produced, performed, engineered, and mixed by Kevin Parker at his Wave House Studio in Injidup, Western Australia, with additional recording done in his hometown of Fremantle. All tracks written by Kevin Parker, except for "Dracula", "Oblivion", and "Afterthought", which were co-written with Sarah Aarons. Additional recording by Loren Humphrey, and mastered by Matt Conton.

Deadbeat will be getting lots of spins and shares from me in the coming days.