Lonerism (Tame Impala)

THE trouble with releasing a killer debut album is that it's much harder to impress with the follow-up.

Tame Impala

THE trouble with releasing a killer debut album is that it's much harder to impress with the follow-up.

This is the situation in which Perth-based quartet Tame Impala finds itself, two years after Innerspeaker, a standout collection of retro-tinged rock songs written and produced almost entirely by singer Kevin Parker.

That formula hasn't changed on Lonerism: the young maestro again handles vocals and all instrumentation (in concert, he's assisted by three bandmates). The main point of difference is that these 12 tracks were recorded in several locations while the band toured the world. And it shows: compared with Innerspeaker's lush, enveloping production, there's much less cohesion between ideas here.

Stylistically, Parker has added swaths of synthesisers to Tame Impala's celebrated psychedelic rock tones. These sounds fill out the space between intricate basslines, clattering percussion, psychedelic guitars and Parker's spaced-out, aloof voice. Heavy piano chords form the basis of first single Apocalypse Dreams, while follow-up Elephant is built on a pulsating rhythm that leads into a glorious, snaking guitar solo.

Although Innerspeaker was stacked with stand-out tracks, the same can't be said for Lonerism, which contains just a handful; Mind Mischief and Keep on Trying are among the best here.

There's the aforementioned trouble again: once a reputation for strong songwriting has been established, anything less than great is disappointing. Lonerism doesn't elicit that particular emotion -- it's a good record, after all -- but it does hint at better things to come. With Parker's brilliant imagination, musical abilities and resourcefulness, it seems that anything's possible.

rock
Lonerism
Tame Impala
Modular

3.5 stars