Tame Impala's music revisits a time when guitar effects and studio tricks were music's newest frontiers; when rock was barely old enough to drive and violently threw conventional ideas out the window. Shrill fuzz boxes and cavernous reverb aren't as cutting-edge as they used to be, but Tame Impala's passion for those sounds is contagious in "Lucidity." The track puts the band's best foot forward, with lead-guitar distortion so abrasive, it's like a burnt piece of meat loaf in a rusty frying pan.
The production gives old-world psychedelia a much-needed resurrection, while even the songwriting hearkens back to another era, toying with surrealism in every one of its verses. But the sentimental cherry on top of this nostalgic treat is Kevin Parker's voice, which sounds remarkably similar to that of John Lennon. Tame Impala is more about impact than innovation, sure, but the music still stuns on contact.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
