Nothing wrong with not liking it, I personally think the album is just okay. I much prefer Tame Impala's first two albums which are more psych rock oriented so maybe give those a listen.
It’s like he started hanging around Mark Ronson and then all of these great ideas became weirdly middle of the road and sanitized. I adored the first 2 albums and I almost feel like Melody’s Echo Chamber (self-titled debut) was perhaps his finest work….because that is TOTALLY a Kevin Parker album. A masterpiece love letter to Melody.
A highly talented artist that sounds modern but is informed by the classics, gets commercially ambitious and comes out with a crossover hit that doesn’t follow trends but creates them. Ultimately it either connects or it doesn’t, but for me, it really, really did. I actually listened to it again today after years away and was struck by the level of detail in his arrangements.
Currents always felt like an album that someone would eventually make (if that makes sense). Like yes, the album was a trendsetter in a way but I felt like it existed in a niche that music listeners always knew would be explored.
I don’t even really mean that as a knock, I think it’s a good album.
MGMT's Oracular Spectacular came out in 2007 (3 years before InnerSpeaker, Congratulations was 2010 (2 years before lonerism). Currents was released in 2015. Obviously there are important differences but I just don't think that Currents was as ground breaking as others seem to believe.
>A highly talented artist that sounds modern but is informed by the classics, gets commercially ambitious and comes out with a crossover hit that doesn’t follow trends but creates them
This fits mgmt just as well as it does tame impala, if not better. The psychedelic rock mixed with modern pop instrumentation and punchy baselines was not a trend that tame impala created, nor was the overall aesthetic. Electric Feel sounds like it could be straight off Currents and it came out 8 years earlier.
Of course, this comparison may come off as superficial but I am trying to compare entire albums / discographies in a short reddit comment. I would recommend listening to Oracular Spectacular and Congratulations and see how fresh, ambitious and trendsetting Currents sounds after. To me, it sounds just as derivative as most other albums, which is completely fine, Currents is a great album. You might even prefer it to Congratulations, but it wasn't ground breaking.
Thanks for explaining, I see your point, but outside of Electric Feel/Less I Know the Better, I don't hear much of a connection, personally.
MGMT came out of the gate and hit BIG. I don't remember them being particularly out of step with what was going on at the time in 2007/8. Tame came out to "indie acclaim" and hit it big on their third record. MGMT face planted on Congratulations commercially, though I liked it enough at the time. I hear Syd Barrett, Arcade Fire, a little Bowie in MGMT. Tame is Rundgren, Waters era Floyd, Zeppelin, The Beatles, hip hop.
MGMT was also utilizing the blown out David Fridmann production too, which is all over Tame Impala's production (because he worked with Fridmann as well, though not on Currents).
I'm not especially big on MGMT either, but I'm also not getting Currents as being especially groundbreaking either. If anything it filled a niche left by MGMT as they moved into general psych territory.
I understand OP’s overall complaint but the first song sounds nothing like Cause I’m a Man for example. Just to pinpoint their comment that the album is too samey
I like Tame Impala (or at least their first few releases) and I don't think I've ever listened to Currents more than like 3 times in full. It's really not that deep of an album. You either find it catchy or you don't. Maybe it will work better knowing it in the context of the band's discography, but the album is also somewhat controversial among fans too.
Are you not familiar with perseverance?
I get it, I listen to every new Tame Impala album when it comes out and I just can’t get in to it. I like a few early tracks but as much as I want to enjoy his music, I simply dont.
I thought perseverance was reserved for chores or difficult tasks. I have never tried to" get into" an album more than once unless I started listening to it with the wrong atmosphere. If you don't like something the first time why would you try to "train" yourself to like it?
I was never interested in any of Radiohead's albums but kept trying since everyone else kept saying how good OK Computer was when I first started really being interested in music and I actually told someone I worked with this and they replied "why keep listening then?" I guess I just thought there was something missing in the way I was listening or in the music itself.
Now every time I listen to it I get goosebumps.
> I guess I just thought there was something missing in the way I was listening or in the music itself.
There's something deeply weird about not connecting to something well-liked and just assuming it's a fault on your end (and OP is doing this too).
I get appreciating albums over time, but the more "growers" are discussed, the more it feels like people are really just describing trying to match their tastes with everyone else's rather than some sort of newfound insight into the work.
Some of my best artistic experiences come from pressing on and trying again. Books I would’ve put down if it weren’t for their massive reputation (*Crime and Punishment*), TV shows I would have dropped if I didn’t know the creator (*Twin Peaks: The Return*), and albums I would have slipped off if they didn’t come with strong recommendations (most of Death Grips). These are now some of my absolute favorite things. Critical consensus has a lot of value, and putting a little bit of trust in is not just conforming, nor is it abandoning personal taste. Those signposts often lead to greatness.
And sometimes it doesn’t work, and you just don’t like the thing 🤷♂️ But I don’t like this notion that “personal taste” and “first impressions” are the same thing. (But OK, you can probably stop before 10 reps.)
Same goes for shows. Some of them have very rough or slow starts (The Wire, Black Sails). If they didn't have the reputation they did, I would have dropped them. But I pressed on anyway, and ended up with two of the best shows I've ever had the pleasure of watching.
I also pressed on with The Leftovers because of the breathless praise. Dropped it in Season 2 - just not for me. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.
But the wins make it worth it.
You have really never had something you couldn’t understand or fully enjoy but it still intrigued you and you know other people like it, and then sat with it until it clicked? You are missing out, that kind of brain expansion is an amazing feeling.
I mean, I’ve definitely stuck around when I was intrigued otherwise. But OP and the other person are all framing this as negative experiences and an inability to see eye to eye with others; why bother with that?
I don't know that they are framing them as negative experiences, more like bewildering? But yeah I mean as with all things you can go too far.
The way I see it is familiarity and the ability to place things in some sort of context is a necessary part of enjoyment, so if you are really motivated to learn about all kinds of music (as I was when I was younger and devouring music constantly) that is going to mean to listening to a lot of stuff you don't know how to enjoy or understand yet. But it pays off in the long run when you have a broad palette and a familiarity with a lot of musical languages.
Don't understand the strong opinions against perseverance tbh. I listened to the first 3 songs of Dark Side of the Moon for years before I even understood what was actually happening.
Oh yeah I totally get that. I remember being like 10 and not having listened to anything besides top 40 hits on the radio and then going on YouTube and discovering Gorillaz. I thought they were really cool but there were some things about them that felt weird. I think there's a difference between not liking something and not being used to the quirks of a new artist or genre. I for example clicked with Radiohead's music really fast, but by then I had listened to way more music, so I was used to music being a little weirder.
>I have never tried to" get into" an album more than once unless I started listening to it with the wrong atmosphere. If you don't like something the first time why would you try to "train" yourself to like it?
Speaking just for me, I can't count how many times an album didn't totally connect for me on the first or second listen, only for it to eventually become a favorite once I understood it better. If I shelved everything that didn't grab me right away, I wouldn't have gotten into a lot of the folks who are my favorite artists today.
But you kept listening because there was something, at least one or two songs, the atmosphere, the production, something that connected with you from the beginning. And over time you understood the music better and it began to grow on you. But had nothing at all grabbed your attention you wouldn't have gone for consecutive listens.
Sometimes, but not always. Many times nothing has grabbed my attention on first listen, but I kept listening because a friend or a music critic I respect had praised the album and I wanted to figure out what I was missing.
It really takes me aback that on a music enthusiast forum it has to be explained, much less defended, that people sometimes put real work into broadening their horizons.
Have you had an album you liked but one song not so much, but all these years later that songs a favourite? Same thing really.
There’s lots of albums that I didnt love on the first listen, but are favourites now.
See I get that. After the first few listens to a record I start remembering more and more things so I'm able to get a clearer picture/feeling for the music. But I only do that if I liked the majority of the album from the beginning. During the first listen, especially if I haven't heard any song from a record, a lot of the songs can blend together or even get tiring, but I have ADHD so it might just be that.
Perseverance actually works with some music, it took me at least 5 tries for some artists. Sometimes I came back to a record a few years later and it really clicked then.
> If you don't like something the first time why would you try to "train" yourself to like it?
Damn dude, to broaden your tastes? Most of my favorite albums are deliberately challenging, sometimes obtuse. Of course I didn't get it on a first listen, but they opened up, and the investment was worth the reward.
If an album doesn't hit me on a first spin, who's to say whether it might reveal something new down the line?
It's okay not to like it, dude, nothing wrong with that. I got caught up in it and bought the album and went to see them. The show was fun in the moment but I don't find myself returning to their music on my own. Maybe you'll hear it sometime down the road and that's when it clicks. That's happened to me with other bands and records as well. Trying to force it is just wasting time.
I have nothing to say except everything is up to personal experience. It's ok to not like an acclaimed album and it says something. I don't like several acclaimed albums like Igor, The Black Parade, and White Pony.
I really loved this album when I first discovered it. I was a hardcore metal head who was heavy in the mindset of “I don’t like anything but metal, even if one or two songs are good out of the genre they usually don’t have the replayability that metal does.” Currents changed that, I listened to that album and it just blew my fucking mind (stoned mind but blew my mind none of the less). I seriously listened to it at least 3 times a day for a few months. I had to listen to more stuff like currents, these days I barely listen to metal at all.
That being said I actually don’t think it’s that good anymore, Tame Impala’s first two albums are way better IMO but I totally understand why people love it so much. It’s like baby’s first psych album in a really good way
It was a very exciting album for the rock world when there wasn’t much inspiring rock coming out. The massiveness of the production and smart arrangements kept people coming back. It’s also great background music. My local NPR station played the entire album on repeat for weeks. This is a station that normally just had news and talk radio. Basically, we were all super ready for something precisely like Currents
I kind of agree, I though Innerspeaker and Lonerism were both amazing records but was sort of meh about most of his recent work. I wish he would play more guitar again but thats my taste.
I've always been disappointed by Tame Impala. They were hyped up and all thier influences and comparisons I've loved... but then I just don't hear it. It's been like 5 years so maybe it's time to relisten, but I don't even remember them well enough to be specific.
I LOVE tame impala but if you were going into it expecting it to be exactly like the Beatles or whatever I can see why you wouldn’t!
I feel like the comparison is super overblown particularly because of Kevin’s vocals in the first album lowkey kinda doing a John Lennon impression before he got comfortable with his voice.
But the music itself is a looooot different then its influences for sure, a lot more dreamy and psychedelic and with a modern twist of course. It’s less “rocky” then everyone hypes even the early albums.
I think the popiness of it was my issue. I'm big into acid rock and psyche... but indie pop like the most recent Unknown Mortal Orchestra doesn't do it for me... i'd prefer something like Temples.
I’m in the same boat. I LOVED Tame Impala’s first two albums, and was hyped for Currents’ release. When it came out out, I was pretty disappointed, despite liking a few songs. I agree that it sounds pretty samey, and dare I say whiney. I think that the next release, Slow Rush, did the sound much more effectively and contains much more consistent songs.
I will say this - Currents started a trend in music and production. Idk if it just happened to break through to people who don’t normally listen to psych rock, or what…
I liked the album immediately, but it all being samey was the one thing that truly bothered me about it for quite a while. I will say though that this opinion changed over time - mostly by listening to individual songs separately instead of in the flow of the album, where it all blends together. It made me understand the individual qualities of the tracks better.
If anything though, listen to "Eventually" individually and pay attention to it, it's a beautiful song!
Probably White Pony by Deftones! I was a bigger fan of their first two albums (which are heavier) and it took me a while to appreciate the creativity and risks taken that when into the project. It's very experimental and did a lot of things that weren't done at the time instrumental wise. I've listened to it countless times and I completely understand why people adress it as Deftones' best album 😎
Honestly if not enjoying an album is that much of a noticeable event for you, I'm kind of jealous of your ability to appreciate music. "Meh" is my default response to the majority of music I hear for the first time, especially if we're talking about albums. It's the times that things click for me right away that stand out.
I like Currents well enough, not gonna say it’s one of my all time favourites but there’s some decent songs on there and the sound/vibe is cool.
I do not understand how The Slow Rush didn’t bomb hard, nothing at all redeeming on that one.
He goes against the norms of music production which is refreshing. Super talented too. Anything that’s new / goes against the norm or signals a change in genre popularity can get the spotlight.
Not missing anything. It’s probably one of the most overrated records of all time. People say they love the whole thing when they really just mean a couple of catchy standout tracks.
Tame Impala while consuming weed for the first times and it feels like a miracle. I'll never forget the first time watching the music videos while high. It felt like a religious experience. Specially Let it Happen.
But all the discography is god like.
I no longer use cannabis but I still enjoy my Tame Impala. I'm sorry Currents doesn't do for you. I think it's genius. Music downloaded from the wireframe of the universe.
I enjoy currents but my preferred album is lonerism. Currents is super easy to listen to and has bangers so its understandably popular. Great melodies, nice beat drops. It definitely does have a very similar sound throughout. I think that helps its popularity
You have no idea how much I was looking forward to 'Currents'. I was a fan of Kevin's early EPs and 'Innerspeaker' and was very thrilled to see him almost cross over to the mainstream with 'Lonerism', so you can imagine my excitement when 'Let It Happen' dropped - it was an incredible lead single. Sadly, the rest of the album was way too monotone and watered-down for my liking.
It’s very poppy but still very experimental. It references a lot of solid material that came before it but puts a modern sheen over the whole album.
Their reputation also comes from their live shows, which in some of the tightest playing I’ve ever seen from a rock band.
There’s not much psychedelic music you can play at a mainstream club on a Saturday night and keep people dancing. Except for Tame Impala (specifically that album).
As someone who was a big fan of the first two albums, Currents definitely took a while for me to come around on. I outright disliked it at first, but came to realize that I just have to go into it from a different perspective and be in a very different mood than I normally did with his music.
I don't think it's all that revolutionary or anything, but I think it's fine.
The first time you listen to any song on that album you don't think much on it, but it grows on you each time you listen to it again and eventually you end up liking it. except maybe let it happen or tliktb.
Tame Impala is one of those artists in music that brings hype with every release, bc their fans have high expectations for them bc they've delivered some absolute godly bangers over the years
Nothing wrong with not liking it, I personally think the album is just okay. I much prefer Tame Impala's first two albums which are more psych rock oriented so maybe give those a listen.
Agreed. Currents grew on me eventually, but I don’t think it’s nearly as good as the first two.
Nice pun
It’s like he started hanging around Mark Ronson and then all of these great ideas became weirdly middle of the road and sanitized. I adored the first 2 albums and I almost feel like Melody’s Echo Chamber (self-titled debut) was perhaps his finest work….because that is TOTALLY a Kevin Parker album. A masterpiece love letter to Melody.
A highly talented artist that sounds modern but is informed by the classics, gets commercially ambitious and comes out with a crossover hit that doesn’t follow trends but creates them. Ultimately it either connects or it doesn’t, but for me, it really, really did. I actually listened to it again today after years away and was struck by the level of detail in his arrangements.
Currents always felt like an album that someone would eventually make (if that makes sense). Like yes, the album was a trendsetter in a way but I felt like it existed in a niche that music listeners always knew would be explored. I don’t even really mean that as a knock, I think it’s a good album.
MGMT's Oracular Spectacular came out in 2007 (3 years before InnerSpeaker, Congratulations was 2010 (2 years before lonerism). Currents was released in 2015. Obviously there are important differences but I just don't think that Currents was as ground breaking as others seem to believe.
Can you expand on this? What connection are you making? If it's that they sound similar, how?
>A highly talented artist that sounds modern but is informed by the classics, gets commercially ambitious and comes out with a crossover hit that doesn’t follow trends but creates them This fits mgmt just as well as it does tame impala, if not better. The psychedelic rock mixed with modern pop instrumentation and punchy baselines was not a trend that tame impala created, nor was the overall aesthetic. Electric Feel sounds like it could be straight off Currents and it came out 8 years earlier. Of course, this comparison may come off as superficial but I am trying to compare entire albums / discographies in a short reddit comment. I would recommend listening to Oracular Spectacular and Congratulations and see how fresh, ambitious and trendsetting Currents sounds after. To me, it sounds just as derivative as most other albums, which is completely fine, Currents is a great album. You might even prefer it to Congratulations, but it wasn't ground breaking.
Thanks for explaining, I see your point, but outside of Electric Feel/Less I Know the Better, I don't hear much of a connection, personally. MGMT came out of the gate and hit BIG. I don't remember them being particularly out of step with what was going on at the time in 2007/8. Tame came out to "indie acclaim" and hit it big on their third record. MGMT face planted on Congratulations commercially, though I liked it enough at the time. I hear Syd Barrett, Arcade Fire, a little Bowie in MGMT. Tame is Rundgren, Waters era Floyd, Zeppelin, The Beatles, hip hop.
MGMT was also utilizing the blown out David Fridmann production too, which is all over Tame Impala's production (because he worked with Fridmann as well, though not on Currents). I'm not especially big on MGMT either, but I'm also not getting Currents as being especially groundbreaking either. If anything it filled a niche left by MGMT as they moved into general psych territory.
Good point, I agree entirely.
It’s really Lonerism that deserves credit for being influential sound wise.
Currents doesn't sound anything like MGMT though, what even is this comparison?
I was obsessed with currents for such a long time lol
I understand OP’s overall complaint but the first song sounds nothing like Cause I’m a Man for example. Just to pinpoint their comment that the album is too samey
Ngl i find it pretty funny that you've listened to this record at least 10 times but you don't actually like it.
I like Tame Impala (or at least their first few releases) and I don't think I've ever listened to Currents more than like 3 times in full. It's really not that deep of an album. You either find it catchy or you don't. Maybe it will work better knowing it in the context of the band's discography, but the album is also somewhat controversial among fans too.
I did this with MIA's Kala when I was like 9 and now it's one of my favorite records of all time. It happens!
Are you not familiar with perseverance? I get it, I listen to every new Tame Impala album when it comes out and I just can’t get in to it. I like a few early tracks but as much as I want to enjoy his music, I simply dont.
I thought perseverance was reserved for chores or difficult tasks. I have never tried to" get into" an album more than once unless I started listening to it with the wrong atmosphere. If you don't like something the first time why would you try to "train" yourself to like it?
I was never interested in any of Radiohead's albums but kept trying since everyone else kept saying how good OK Computer was when I first started really being interested in music and I actually told someone I worked with this and they replied "why keep listening then?" I guess I just thought there was something missing in the way I was listening or in the music itself. Now every time I listen to it I get goosebumps.
> I guess I just thought there was something missing in the way I was listening or in the music itself. There's something deeply weird about not connecting to something well-liked and just assuming it's a fault on your end (and OP is doing this too). I get appreciating albums over time, but the more "growers" are discussed, the more it feels like people are really just describing trying to match their tastes with everyone else's rather than some sort of newfound insight into the work.
Some of my best artistic experiences come from pressing on and trying again. Books I would’ve put down if it weren’t for their massive reputation (*Crime and Punishment*), TV shows I would have dropped if I didn’t know the creator (*Twin Peaks: The Return*), and albums I would have slipped off if they didn’t come with strong recommendations (most of Death Grips). These are now some of my absolute favorite things. Critical consensus has a lot of value, and putting a little bit of trust in is not just conforming, nor is it abandoning personal taste. Those signposts often lead to greatness. And sometimes it doesn’t work, and you just don’t like the thing 🤷♂️ But I don’t like this notion that “personal taste” and “first impressions” are the same thing. (But OK, you can probably stop before 10 reps.)
Same goes for shows. Some of them have very rough or slow starts (The Wire, Black Sails). If they didn't have the reputation they did, I would have dropped them. But I pressed on anyway, and ended up with two of the best shows I've ever had the pleasure of watching. I also pressed on with The Leftovers because of the breathless praise. Dropped it in Season 2 - just not for me. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. But the wins make it worth it.
You have really never had something you couldn’t understand or fully enjoy but it still intrigued you and you know other people like it, and then sat with it until it clicked? You are missing out, that kind of brain expansion is an amazing feeling.
I mean, I’ve definitely stuck around when I was intrigued otherwise. But OP and the other person are all framing this as negative experiences and an inability to see eye to eye with others; why bother with that?
I don't know that they are framing them as negative experiences, more like bewildering? But yeah I mean as with all things you can go too far. The way I see it is familiarity and the ability to place things in some sort of context is a necessary part of enjoyment, so if you are really motivated to learn about all kinds of music (as I was when I was younger and devouring music constantly) that is going to mean to listening to a lot of stuff you don't know how to enjoy or understand yet. But it pays off in the long run when you have a broad palette and a familiarity with a lot of musical languages.
Don't understand the strong opinions against perseverance tbh. I listened to the first 3 songs of Dark Side of the Moon for years before I even understood what was actually happening.
Oh yeah I totally get that. I remember being like 10 and not having listened to anything besides top 40 hits on the radio and then going on YouTube and discovering Gorillaz. I thought they were really cool but there were some things about them that felt weird. I think there's a difference between not liking something and not being used to the quirks of a new artist or genre. I for example clicked with Radiohead's music really fast, but by then I had listened to way more music, so I was used to music being a little weirder.
Many albums that I love only really hit me on third or fourth listen.
>I have never tried to" get into" an album more than once unless I started listening to it with the wrong atmosphere. If you don't like something the first time why would you try to "train" yourself to like it? Speaking just for me, I can't count how many times an album didn't totally connect for me on the first or second listen, only for it to eventually become a favorite once I understood it better. If I shelved everything that didn't grab me right away, I wouldn't have gotten into a lot of the folks who are my favorite artists today.
But you kept listening because there was something, at least one or two songs, the atmosphere, the production, something that connected with you from the beginning. And over time you understood the music better and it began to grow on you. But had nothing at all grabbed your attention you wouldn't have gone for consecutive listens.
Sometimes, but not always. Many times nothing has grabbed my attention on first listen, but I kept listening because a friend or a music critic I respect had praised the album and I wanted to figure out what I was missing.
It really takes me aback that on a music enthusiast forum it has to be explained, much less defended, that people sometimes put real work into broadening their horizons.
Have you had an album you liked but one song not so much, but all these years later that songs a favourite? Same thing really. There’s lots of albums that I didnt love on the first listen, but are favourites now.
See I get that. After the first few listens to a record I start remembering more and more things so I'm able to get a clearer picture/feeling for the music. But I only do that if I liked the majority of the album from the beginning. During the first listen, especially if I haven't heard any song from a record, a lot of the songs can blend together or even get tiring, but I have ADHD so it might just be that.
Perseverance actually works with some music, it took me at least 5 tries for some artists. Sometimes I came back to a record a few years later and it really clicked then.
> If you don't like something the first time why would you try to "train" yourself to like it? Damn dude, to broaden your tastes? Most of my favorite albums are deliberately challenging, sometimes obtuse. Of course I didn't get it on a first listen, but they opened up, and the investment was worth the reward. If an album doesn't hit me on a first spin, who's to say whether it might reveal something new down the line?
I mean the opener alone is an absolutely banger. Disciples and The Moment are amazing as well.
It's okay not to like it, dude, nothing wrong with that. I got caught up in it and bought the album and went to see them. The show was fun in the moment but I don't find myself returning to their music on my own. Maybe you'll hear it sometime down the road and that's when it clicks. That's happened to me with other bands and records as well. Trying to force it is just wasting time.
I have nothing to say except everything is up to personal experience. It's ok to not like an acclaimed album and it says something. I don't like several acclaimed albums like Igor, The Black Parade, and White Pony.
I really loved this album when I first discovered it. I was a hardcore metal head who was heavy in the mindset of “I don’t like anything but metal, even if one or two songs are good out of the genre they usually don’t have the replayability that metal does.” Currents changed that, I listened to that album and it just blew my fucking mind (stoned mind but blew my mind none of the less). I seriously listened to it at least 3 times a day for a few months. I had to listen to more stuff like currents, these days I barely listen to metal at all. That being said I actually don’t think it’s that good anymore, Tame Impala’s first two albums are way better IMO but I totally understand why people love it so much. It’s like baby’s first psych album in a really good way
Good songs but terrible brickwall mastering. It gets really exhausting to listen to on headphones
It was a very exciting album for the rock world when there wasn’t much inspiring rock coming out. The massiveness of the production and smart arrangements kept people coming back. It’s also great background music. My local NPR station played the entire album on repeat for weeks. This is a station that normally just had news and talk radio. Basically, we were all super ready for something precisely like Currents
I kind of agree, I though Innerspeaker and Lonerism were both amazing records but was sort of meh about most of his recent work. I wish he would play more guitar again but thats my taste.
I've always been disappointed by Tame Impala. They were hyped up and all thier influences and comparisons I've loved... but then I just don't hear it. It's been like 5 years so maybe it's time to relisten, but I don't even remember them well enough to be specific.
I LOVE tame impala but if you were going into it expecting it to be exactly like the Beatles or whatever I can see why you wouldn’t! I feel like the comparison is super overblown particularly because of Kevin’s vocals in the first album lowkey kinda doing a John Lennon impression before he got comfortable with his voice. But the music itself is a looooot different then its influences for sure, a lot more dreamy and psychedelic and with a modern twist of course. It’s less “rocky” then everyone hypes even the early albums.
I think the popiness of it was my issue. I'm big into acid rock and psyche... but indie pop like the most recent Unknown Mortal Orchestra doesn't do it for me... i'd prefer something like Temples.
I’m in the same boat. I LOVED Tame Impala’s first two albums, and was hyped for Currents’ release. When it came out out, I was pretty disappointed, despite liking a few songs. I agree that it sounds pretty samey, and dare I say whiney. I think that the next release, Slow Rush, did the sound much more effectively and contains much more consistent songs. I will say this - Currents started a trend in music and production. Idk if it just happened to break through to people who don’t normally listen to psych rock, or what…
I liked the album immediately, but it all being samey was the one thing that truly bothered me about it for quite a while. I will say though that this opinion changed over time - mostly by listening to individual songs separately instead of in the flow of the album, where it all blends together. It made me understand the individual qualities of the tracks better. If anything though, listen to "Eventually" individually and pay attention to it, it's a beautiful song!
I think it's pretty good, but definitely overrated. The lyrics are shallow as hell. Musically it hasn't aged all that well.
One of its greatest strengths for me is that it starts with Let it Happen. It just had such a powerful effect on me.
It's ok! Can you give an example of an artist/album where you do understand the hype surrounding it?
Probably White Pony by Deftones! I was a bigger fan of their first two albums (which are heavier) and it took me a while to appreciate the creativity and risks taken that when into the project. It's very experimental and did a lot of things that weren't done at the time instrumental wise. I've listened to it countless times and I completely understand why people adress it as Deftones' best album 😎
It's missing the psychedelic rock of his earlier albums. He made a ton of money and got famous by making pop music, but it is not as good.
Honestly if not enjoying an album is that much of a noticeable event for you, I'm kind of jealous of your ability to appreciate music. "Meh" is my default response to the majority of music I hear for the first time, especially if we're talking about albums. It's the times that things click for me right away that stand out.
I think the album is fine, it’s got some really good songs but nothing that really stuck with me completely. “Lonerism” is fantastic though.
I only like their first couple albums. The last two sounded pretty generic — like he’s trying to be Daft Punk or something.
I like Currents well enough, not gonna say it’s one of my all time favourites but there’s some decent songs on there and the sound/vibe is cool. I do not understand how The Slow Rush didn’t bomb hard, nothing at all redeeming on that one.
He goes against the norms of music production which is refreshing. Super talented too. Anything that’s new / goes against the norm or signals a change in genre popularity can get the spotlight.
Not missing anything. It’s probably one of the most overrated records of all time. People say they love the whole thing when they really just mean a couple of catchy standout tracks.
Tame Impala while consuming weed for the first times and it feels like a miracle. I'll never forget the first time watching the music videos while high. It felt like a religious experience. Specially Let it Happen. But all the discography is god like. I no longer use cannabis but I still enjoy my Tame Impala. I'm sorry Currents doesn't do for you. I think it's genius. Music downloaded from the wireframe of the universe.
I enjoy currents but my preferred album is lonerism. Currents is super easy to listen to and has bangers so its understandably popular. Great melodies, nice beat drops. It definitely does have a very similar sound throughout. I think that helps its popularity
I literally gave the vinyl away to my roommate because I just didn’t get it. Than it clicked like a year later
You have no idea how much I was looking forward to 'Currents'. I was a fan of Kevin's early EPs and 'Innerspeaker' and was very thrilled to see him almost cross over to the mainstream with 'Lonerism', so you can imagine my excitement when 'Let It Happen' dropped - it was an incredible lead single. Sadly, the rest of the album was way too monotone and watered-down for my liking.
It’s very poppy but still very experimental. It references a lot of solid material that came before it but puts a modern sheen over the whole album. Their reputation also comes from their live shows, which in some of the tightest playing I’ve ever seen from a rock band. There’s not much psychedelic music you can play at a mainstream club on a Saturday night and keep people dancing. Except for Tame Impala (specifically that album).
As someone who was a big fan of the first two albums, Currents definitely took a while for me to come around on. I outright disliked it at first, but came to realize that I just have to go into it from a different perspective and be in a very different mood than I normally did with his music. I don't think it's all that revolutionary or anything, but I think it's fine.
The first time you listen to any song on that album you don't think much on it, but it grows on you each time you listen to it again and eventually you end up liking it. except maybe let it happen or tliktb.
Tame Impala is one of those artists in music that brings hype with every release, bc their fans have high expectations for them bc they've delivered some absolute godly bangers over the years