7/10
Favorite Track: "Borderline" Least Favorite Track: "Tomorrow's Dust"
After five years of waiting Kevin Parker (Tame Impala) has finally released his long awaited, much-anticipated, fourth studio album; The Slow Rush. It’s mind bending to consider that this is only Parker’s fourth album under the Tame Impala umbrella, because it feels like he’s been around forever. I’ve always found the concept of Tame Impala incredible. I have a massive amount of respect for Kevin Parker, the fact that he produces, writes, and performs all of Tame Impala’s music is a feat that justifies the industry respect that he has managed to garner. With that being said, I have always thought the man behind the talent has consistently punched under his weight on a songwriting front and after listening to The Slow Rush that feeling still persists, but on a slightly more mild level. This half-conceptual LP sees Parker experimenting with the concept of time. All angles are covered; the strung out and distorted, “It Might be Time” (as expected), discusses knowing when it is time to face something in your life and make a decision. “On Track” is an inspirational, slow burning, and beautiful ballad about deciding when it is time to call it quits on your dreams and concede to a path more realistic. Paker nobly, comes to the conclusion that there is no such thing. Sonically this LP, also strays a bit further from the normal Tame Impala style. The Slow Rush sees Parker explore the worlds of funk and disco in addition to his normal psychedelia. Tracks like “Is It True” and “Lost In Yesterday”, are prime examples, and also contain some of the funkiest basslines in the entire Tame Impala catalog. I think The Slow Rush more or less acts as the slight change of pace for Parker and his sound that I was looking for. While some of the problems I had with Currents still insist within a few of these tracks, the material surrounding those blunders sounds years ahead of the highlights on Parkers last LP; the result is a project with slightly more varied sounds than Currents. Overall, I remain more or less split on The Slow Rush, but I’m walking away from it with more to enjoy than I did on Currents and a better understanding of what Tame Impala really is.
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