InnerSpeaker

Artist: Tame Impala
Label: Sub Pop/Stomp
Website: tameimpala.com

Seems like Tame Impala have been threatening to be the 'next big thing' in Oz music for a while now. I was frankly surprised that their debut self-titled EP had been released some two years ago. But the WA boys are now set to shake things up with their first long-player InnerSpeaker.

The publicity material that accompanied InnerSpeaker promised "a woozy world of synesthesia soul, of hazy home-brewed daydreams and of infinitely unravelling adventures to the bottom of the imagination and back". For all the hyperbole inherent in that little missive, it's actually fairly accurate. This is 60s psychadelia given a 21st century makeover. Those oldies familiar with the likes of Cream (try listening to 'The Bold Arrow of Time' without thinking of them) will surely approve.

The lads recorded the album in the wilds of south-west WA south of Perth, then hot-footed it to upstate New York to mix it with the assistance of the renowned Dave Fridmann, who boasts the likes of the Flaming Lips and MGMT on his resume. Certainly, there's a touch of the Flaming Lips on the record, although Tame Impala have a more relaxed, almost laid-back vibe about them.

One thing Tame Impala fans can't quibble with is the amount of music provided on InnerSpeaker. The first single, the soaring 'Solitude is Bliss' is one of the shortest on the entire album, clocking in at a tick under 4 minutes. In all, there are 11 tracks, most around the 4 to 5 minute mark. The record however includes the behemoth 'Runway, Houses, City, Clouds' at 7 minutes 15 seconds; while 'Expectation' clocks in at just over 6 minutes.

More importantly though, the record delivers what fans have wanted since 2008; a rollicking, rampaging record full of Tame Impala's signature riffs and billowing vocals. As I mentioned earlier, those with long memories or music collections that span eras other than the past 10 years will find some familiar sounds here. Close your eyes and you'll swear at times that you're listening to Hendrix or The Doors or Deep Purple.

Where is the line between homage and plagiarism, you might ask? I'm not all that sure myself, but I'm confident in saying that Tame Impala don't cross it here. While the sounds might be reminiscent, this is purely a Tame Impala record; and a damn fine one at that. As an antidote to the kind of mass-produced, YouTube-driven plastic pap that's served up all too regularly, the effortless muscularity of Tame Impala is a breath of fresh air.

Phil James