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Tame Impala — The Slow Rush (Feb 14, 2020)   Tame Impala — The Slow Rush (Feb 14, 2020) Tame Impala — The Slow Rush (Feb 14, 2020)
■★■      Vrcholné album! Tame Impala je Kevin Parker. Jeho poslední album „Currents“ (Interscope) bylo vydáno v roce 2015 a vyneslo mu druhou nominaci na GRAMMY, dále dle certifikace RIAA Gold a skvělý kritický ohlas v širokém slova smyslu. The New York Times ho označil za „ tour de force“ a Pitchfork poznamenal: „téměř každá píseň na albu „Currents“ je odhalujícím vyjádřením Parkerova rozsahu a zvyšujících se odborných znalostí jako producenta, aranžéra, skladatele, songwritera a zpěváka při zachování podstaty Tame Impaly.“ NPR podotkl: „[Parker] obhajuje neustálé znovuobjevování… Tento závazek k vývoji pomáhá učinit Tame Impalu nepravděpodobným, ale ctihodným kandidátem na hlavní hvězdu.“ 
■★■     Vrátím se k aktuálnímu albu. Proč tedy teď a po tom všem ‚vrcholné album‘? Kdo na to nepřijde nejpozději v písni „Posthumous Forgiveness“, prohlásím ho posmrtně za papežova bráchu. Dne 9. února 2019 se Parker oženil se svou přítelkyní Sophie Lawrenceovou na vinici v západní Austrálii a téměř do roka a do dne je na stole první velké album 2020. Kapela vydala dvě nové skladby již dříve v létě: „Patience“ a „Borderline“ — hojně cestovala po Severní Americe na základě těchto nových písní. Vždy se předpokládalo, že přijde nové album, takže nyní o něm máme náruč dalších podrobností. Australan Kevin Parker je uvnitř Tame Impaly géniem, vydávajícím již čtvrté album. Očekávejte přepracovanou verzi singlu „Borderline“ a obohacení díky písni „It Might Be Time“, kterou lze označit za „dynamický, bombastický výbuch štiplavého prog~popu“. Kdysi dávno Kevin pro nahrávání skladeb používal kytaru Fender Roadhouse Stratocaster. Arkticky bílou s hnědým pickguardem a hmatníkem z palisandrového dřeva — svou primární kytaru, vlastnil ji v letech 2008~2015. Zdá se, že Parker tuto kytaru již přestal používat. Byla poškozena, i když předtím byla použita k albu „Currents“, jak je vidět na propagačních videích tehdejšího alba. Kytara je vybavena snímačem MIDI. Teď ji primárkou jiná: Fender Stratocaster — sunburst (finish) — poprvé spatřena v roce 2018, živě používána pro „Sundown Syndrome“, písně z období „Innerspeaker“ — „The Less I Know The Better“ a „Love/Paranoia“. Použil ji také pro nahrávání 4. alba „The Slow Rush“. Kytara byla viděna během performance „Patience“ v sobotu 30. března 2019 večer. Zatím není jasné, jaký přesný model nového Stratocasteru Kevin má. 
■★■     Parkerova hudba je silně ovlivněna psychedelickým rockem, kterého dosahuje různými produkčními metodami. Některé oblíbené a často používané Parkerovy efekty zahrnují fázování, delay, reverb a fuzz. Parker také má silný smysl pro melodii ve své hudbě a je patrné, že „v rozhodujícím věku od 12~ti do 15~ti skládal melodickou hudbu a to fest”. V důsledku své lásky k melodii také sám odhalil, že má „fetiš pro velmi sladkou populární hudbu“ od umělkyň jako Britney Spears a Kylie Minogue. Lo~fi je také Parkerovým favoritem a silně ho včlenil v raných dnech Tame Impaly, které se promítly na EP. V éře vydání alba Innerspeaker (2010) našel Parker jiný přístup k lo~fi soundu, mířil více na více kosmické a zvukové stěny, pomáhal mu v tom mix~engineer Dave Fridmann. Parker vysvětlil: „Zní to soudržněji, jako organismus. K tomu má jinou emoci, vyvolává odlišný pocit, když je to naprosto bláznivé. Miluji ten zvuk“. A musím uznat, že vše sedí i v písni „It Might Be Time“, kde v závěrečné pasáži se jedna nádhera vrství přes další a další. No a skutečným finále je pak poslední „One More Hour“, nejdelší a pečlivě procítěná. A pokud by se celou dobu Kevina někdo ptal: „Co máš v rukávu?“, jeho odpověď by byla zcela zřejmá: „Trpělivost.“ 
Birth name: Kevin Richard Parker
Born: 20 January 1986, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Origin: Fremantle, Western Australia, Australia
Location: Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Album release: Feb 14, 2020
Record Label: Modular/Island Australia
Duration:     56:41
Tracks:
01 One More Year   5:18
02 Instant Destiny   3:14
03 Borderline   4:36
04 Posthumous Forgiveness   6:06
05 Breathe Deeper   5:57
06 Tomorrow’s Dust   5:13
07 On Track    5:00
08 Lost in Yesterday   4:10
09 Is It True   3:57
10 It Might Be Time   4:33
11 Glimmer   2:04
12 One More Hour   7:10
Live personnel:
⇓   Kevin Parker — vocals, guitar (2007~present)
⇓   Jay Watson — drums (2007~2012); synthesiser, guitar, backing vocals (2012~present)
⇓   Dominic Simper — bass guitar (2007~2013); guitar, synthesiser, keyboards (2009~present)
⇓   Julien Barbagallo — drums, backing vocals (2012~present)
⇓   Cam Avery — bass guitar, backing vocals (2013~present), synthesizer (2019~present)
Review
Thomas Smith ■ Feb. 7th, 2020 ■ Score: ★★★★
★   ‘The Slow Rush’ review: a 57~minute flex of every musical muscle in Kevin Parker’s body.
★   Tame Impala’s first album in five years sees them move away from guitars and into mega~pop songwriting. The results are exhilarating
★   You have to feel a little bit for Tame Impala. It wasn’t Kevin Parker’s intention to be coronated the saviour of rock on a mainstream level, but — for better or worse — that’s what happened. As genres started collapsing into themselves in the last decade’s second half — rock into electronic, pop into hip~hop — there Parker stood in the middle of it all, guitar in hand. Following 2012’s mainstream breakthrough ‘Lonerism’, their third album ‘Currents’ established them as rare modern guitar heroes making the leap to festival headline slots.
★   It remains an unfair burden. Interviewers have recently found Parker keen to move the conversation away from the rock saviour narrative. Speaking to Billboard, he made it clear that his ambitions lay in the pop battlefield, explaining that “writing a catchy, sugary pop song” is “the yin to the yang of psychedelic rock”. Instead, he wants to “be a Max Martin”, a reference to one of the most celebrated songwriter this side of the millennium, whose credits include work with Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift and The Weekend.
★   Since ‘Currents’, Parker has become a voguish producer adored by hip~hop titans — from Kanye West to A$AP Rocky and pop heavyweights such as Lady Gaga (he co~wrote some of her rootsy 2016 album ‘Joanne’). His horizons have broadened beyond a home~studio in Melbourne — he’s now in the thick of LA’s music scene.
★     It seems there were endless moving parts and inner~conflicts rattling Parker’s mind in the five~year gap between ‘Currents’ and Tame Impala’s fourth album, ‘The Slow Rush’. He’d hoped to have the album out to coincide with their headline appearance at Coachella last Spring. That didn’t materialise and he’s since admitted that work only really began towards the end of 2018. Well, fans’ expectations have been dizzyingly high: it’s little wonder that this album has such a large gestation period.
So: was ‘The Slow Rush’ worth the wait?
★   The answer, for the most part, is — deep breath — a resounding ‘yes’. This is a 57~minute flex of every musical muscle in Parker’s body. Crunchy guitars are largely absent, but we’re left with something far more intriguing — a pop record bearing masterful electronic strokes. If ‘Currents’ soundtracked the glorious come~up, ‘The Slow Rush’ is the wobbly morning after, with everything and everyone under question.
★   This tone is established through the first few lines on moody opening track ‘One More Year’, Parker’s most intimate song to date. As a steady beat and glitchy loops establishes itself, he ponders about his connection to the places outside his studio, and outside his own head: “Do you remember we were standing here a year ago / Our minds were racing and time went slow / If there was trouble in the world we didn’t know / If we ever cared we didn’t show”. The second half of previous single ‘Posthumous Forgiveness’, a reckoning with Parker’s now~deceased father, is a cathartic rumination on their tricky relationship and his now superstardom: “Wanna tell you ’bout the time / I was in Abbey Road / Or the time that I had / Mick Jagger on the phone”.
★   Parker reflects on the power of nostalgia (‘Lost In Yesterday’) and the fear of losing his mojo (‘It Might Be Time’), while the spindly ‘Tomorrow’s Dust’ is a slap round the face in the favour of progress: “There’s no use tryin’ to relate to that old song”. This is not the kind of powerhouse songwriting you’d expected from Max Martin, but ‘The Slow Rush’ is actually better for it. These songs are often ethereal, dense and cosmic: you won’t find a happy~go~lucky, catch~all chorus here. 
★   And, to return to the notion of Kevin Parker wunder~producer, this album simply sounds phenomenal. The production, sound design and creative instrumentation are genuinely outstanding throughout — nobody does it better than our Kev.
★   Take ‘Is It True’, which continues the kind of boogie he rolled out with Trinidadian rapper and singer Theophilus London for their 2019 cover of ‘Only You’, a serious ’80s groover originally performed by cult Nigerian hero Steve Monite. ‘Breathe Deeper’ flits between ravey pianos and ‘80s Fleetwood Mac — with a touch of Daft Punk’s ‘Da Funk’ thrown in the song’s final 90 seconds.
★   Sometimes, though, the songs don’t quite do the production justice. 2019 single ‘Borderline’ has been reworked and fleshed~out, a move that still can’t mask the lacklustre chorus. And where’s 2019 single ‘Patience’? It’s a genuine anthem and a much better song than ‘Borderline’. The album’s final quarter sags somewhat; from ‘It Might Be Time’ on you’d be forgiven for thinking time itself has stood still as you wait for this spectacular, exhausting album to finish.
★   As far as follow~ups to an earth~shattering run of albums go, though this is much more than just a solid return. It is, overall, an exhilarating listen. Tame Impala are unlikely to lose any fans by embracing Parker’s pop sensibilities — genres are history, man — but you have to admire their wilful desire to push into new directions. This band aren’t rock music’s saviours; they’re so much more than that.
★   https://www.nme.com/ 
SAN DIEGO
EVENT INFORMATION
★   Recently, Tame Impala officially announced his fourth studio album, The Slow Rush set for release February 14 via Interscope. He also shared the album track, “It Might Be Time,” which follows the previously released album track, “Borderline” and another single “Patience.”
★   Fans can pre~order The Slow Rush at tameimpala.com and all major retailers, or with a ticket purchase for the North American tour dates.  Digital pre~orders will receive the two album tracks instantly. The Slow Rush will also be printed in 4 heavyweight double disc vinyl formats — standard black, forest green (Limited Edition — all retailers), red/blue (indie retail exclusive) and splatter (Tame Impala webstore exclusive).
★   The Slow Rush was recorded between Los Angeles and Parker’s studio in his hometown of Fremantle, Australia. The twelve tracks were recorded, produced and mixed by Parker. The LP is Parker’s deep dive into the oceans of time, conjuring the feeling of a lifetime in a lightning bolt, of major milestones whizzing by while you’re looking at your phone, it’s a paean to creation and destruction and the unending cycle of life. Parker told the New York Times earlier this year, “A lot of the songs carry this idea of time passing, of seeing your life flash before your eyes, being able to see clearly your life from this point onwards. I’m being swept by this notion of time passing. There’s something really intoxicating about it.” The album cover was created in collaboration with photographer Neil Krug and features a symbol of humanity all but swallowed whole by the surrounding environment, as though in the blink of an eye.
★   In March Tame Impala performed “Patience” and “Borderline” on Saturday Night Live. The last six months have seen Tame Impala headline multiple major festivals including Coachella, Primavera, Lollapalooza, ACL and more. He also sold out arenas around the world including two nights at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.
★   Tame Impala is Kevin Parker. His last album Currents (Interscope) was released in 2015 earning him a second GRAMMY nomination, RIAA Gold~certification and word~wide critical acclaim. The New York Times labeled it a “a tour de force” and Pitchfork said, “nearly every proper song on ‘Currents’ is a revelatory statement of Parker’s range and increasing expertise as a producer, arranger, songwriter, and vocalist while maintaining the essence of Tame Impala.” NPRnoted, “[Parker] advocates for constant reinvention… That commitment to evolution helps make Tame Impala an unlikely but worthy candidate for major stardom.”
★   He first toured the U.S. in 2010, playing small clubs for crowds of 200. A handful of trips to the U.S. later and thanks to the ravenous demand of fans for a transcendent live performance, Tame Impala has gone on to headline festivals and theaters around the world and released three full length albums — Innerspeaker, Lonerism and Currents. As a writer and producer Parker has collaborated with Travis Scott, SZA, Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Kanye West, Kali Uchis, Theophilus London, Miguel, A$AP Rocky and more.
★   https://pechangaarenasd.com/event/tame-impala/ 
Website: https://official.tameimpala.com/ 
Discography:
■  Innerspeaker (2010)
■  Lonerism (2012)
■  Currents (2015)
■  The Slow Rush (2020)

ALBUM COVERS XI.