Tame Impala are the bees knees right now and are set for big things in 2010. Right from the get-go with their debut self-titled EP in 2008 there was a touch of class about these Western Australian lads to indicate that they have a bright and promising future.

Two years later, much wiser and tour hardened, the band has been able to bring those experiences to the table to deliver a well measured debut album christened InnerSpeaker. If you start thinking ‘60s/’70s psychedelic rock you’re part way there in appreciating the talent of Tame Impala. Frontman Kevin Parker, the band’s key visionary, has done a splendid job in taking sounds from the past and reinterpreting them for modern ears, showing a maturity far beyond his years. Having personally seen Tame Impala live several times now, it’s great to be able to reflect on the live experience by finally having the physical product to enjoy. The tone is set from the opener It Is Not Meant To Be and the following track Desire Be Desire Go, which also builds on their earlier strengths of strong guitar riffs and infectious rhythm sections.

The album really comes alive with the standouts Lucidity and Why Wouldn’t You Make Up Your Mind?. The influences of Tame Impala are broad, but it is easy to pick the obvious ones such as Cream and Pink Floyd through to the more contemporary ones such as Tortoise, High Llamas and The Flaming Lips (a nod made even more obvious by the addition of The Flaming Lips producer Dave Fridmann here).

Tame Impala aren’t necessarily geared for the Top 40 market or focused on profit per radio play, but just wait until the rest of the world catches on.

Rob Lyon

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