#TAME IMPALA LET IT HAPPEN SONG MEANINGS SERIES#
Already, Parker - a self-described introvert who formed Tame Impala after playing in a series of grungy local bands in Perth - has demonstrated an eagerness to evolve, from the throwback psychedelia of Tame Impala’s 2010 debut, “Innerspeaker,” to the more expansive “Lonerism” in 2012 to “Currents,” which embraced elements of soft-touch R&B and dance-all-night club music.
“It might not be me it probably won’t be me.” Tucking his shoulder-length hair behind his ears, he seemed suddenly to envision his words in print. “But I do believe someone will come along and change it,” said Parker, dressed in black jeans and high-top sneakers. With the help of several old friends from the music scene in Parker’s native Perth, Tame Impala also became an in-demand live act, as seen last year at Coachella, where the group played an immersive headlining set (complete with a lighting rig that resembled a UFO) after several years in which the desert mega-festival went without a rock band at the top of its bill.Īsked why he thinks rock has lost much of its appeal among younger listeners, Parker said the genre “trips itself up on ideals” - purist notions about the superiority of “real instruments” and the like - “rather than just wanting to have fun or to try new things.” To a generation raised on computers, he went on, that makes no sense. “I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t want to work with Kevin,” said Kali Uchis, the L.A.-based electro-soul singer who enlisted Parker for the spacey “ Tomorrow,” from her 2018 disc “Isolation.” “Artists have a lot of respect for someone with such a distinct sound.” But its success kept him busier than he’d anticipated: After Rihanna remade his song “New Person, Same Old Mistakes” on her “Anti” album, other pop and hip-hop stars sought him out for high-profile studio gigs he co-produced Lady Gaga’s single “ Perfect Illusion” and contributed to tracks by Travis Scott, Mark Ronson and Kanye West, each of which bore clear marks of his step-into-my-daydream style. Parker - who writes, plays and produces everything on Tame Impala’s records - never intended to take five years to follow up his 2015 breakthrough, “Currents,” which racked up hundreds of millions of streams and earned a Grammy nomination for best alternative music album. Sipping a can of LaCroix as he took in the postcard-perfect view from a balcony, the low-key frontman added that that feeling applied to his experience making the album itself. Still, in just a short amount of time we covered album art, re-working songs for virtual live performances, how song meanings can change over time, and how Travis Scott has influenced Kevin’s tolerance for really (REALLY) loud music.“The feeling that time has passed and you didn’t even realize it - that’s the driving emotion of this record,” Parker said on a recent afternoon at the airy Spanish-style place he and his wife (who’s a partner in a boutique ice-cream company) share in the Hollywood Hills. As a fan myself, I’ve recently listened to Kevin talk on a variety of podcasts and other programs, and even after the long segments I’m always hungry for more insights into the musical decision making that takes place in the studio during a Tame Impala recording session. Still, with a few virtual performances under his belt already, physical distance wasn’t going to stop him from chatting with us about his recent album The Slow Rush, released earlier this year in February.įirst let me say that I wish this interview could have been an hour long. In another universe, Kevin Parker (the mastermind behind Tame Impala) would be touring the United States this fall, making pitstops at radio stations across the country.
0 kommentar(er)
