Tame Impala have released a video directed by David Wilson for Let It Happen, opening track and single off their highly regarded, long-awaited new album Currents. I can imagine that watching this will be rather harrowing for all you aviophobes. I get it… flying a vast distance above the earth in a flimsy, metal bird does not excite me either. In the video, a man collapses in an airport and then goes through a progressively intensifying string of hallucinations. At one point, his sandwich flashes its tomato and lettuce dentition as it speaks to him. The clip ends beautifully with the protagonist hovering, struck with awe (or a sudden need to evacuate his bowels), into a peach-pink vortex of cumuli. If only all mid-air disasters could end so romantically.
Considering the psychedelic nature of this clip, one can only wonder what’ll be coming next from Australia’s mos sought-after psych rock purveyors.
The video follows on from their recent clip for the beautiful single ‘Cause I’m A Man, featuring the band members as muppets, performing a pretty unique gig.
After years of waiting for their musical return, Tame Impala headlined Splendour in the Grass Festival at the end of July – you can read our festival review here.
In amongst all the fuss surrounding Tame Impala‘s third album Currents being released last month, it seems just about everyone has caught onto the Perth psych-rock outfit – everyone including HAIM.
That’s right! The sister trio who famous for their tracks Falling, Forever and The Wire on their 2013 debut album Days Are Gone, have very recently released a “remix” of Tame Impala’s Cause I’m A Man. The word remix is in inverted commas, because it’s slightly different to what you’d probably expect. From just a few seconds in on the track, you’ll know what I mean.
Toeing the line between remix and cover, HAIM have turned the track on it’s head and made it entirely their own. From the heart wrenching vocals of singer Danielle and subsequent backing melodies from Este and Alana, to the staggering production and plethora of subtle samples, this remix/cover is a serious contender for best of the year.
Lush, full and complete, HAIM have pulled out all the stops for this release and it shows. Sounding almost mechanical in some ways, it’s been slowed down, and somehow amped up with the emotion. There is something liberating about Danielle’s soaring delivering of the chorus, the hard hitting drums and the way the track rises and falls as it slowly stumbles along. It’s really something special, and the sisters have done the track a whole lot of justice.
Danielle announced the release of the track via the band’s Instagram, where she gave an insight into the first time she saw Tame Impala perform:“I remember standing in the crowd and not really understanding how this MASSIVE sound was coming off the stage with just 4 people playing. They were one of the best bands I had ever seen live. When I went back to my hotel, I downloaded their EP immediately — told my sisters to also — and since then we’ve seen their incredible shows all over the world at various festivals and loved every record.”
This isn’t HAIM’s first foray into the remixing/covering world, with the young women also known for their renditions of Beyonce‘s XO and Miley Cyrus‘ Wrecking Ball. Taking on one of 2015’s strongest releases was a bold move, but they’ve more than pulled it off here. There is no word (still) on a follow up to their 2013 release, but their recent collaboration with Calvin Harris had HAIM fans very excited indeed for fresh material. Watch this space!
When Kevin Parker revealed in his Reddit AMA that his band Tame Impala had not seen the royalties from overseas record sales, Australian fans were up in arms. It was a collective “oh, no you didn’t!” to label Modular, because these are OUR guys.
As a national export they have taken their brand of sweet psychedelia to the world stage, with the kind of success one would like to imagine goes hand in hand with sipping Moet and rolling in piles of record sales dollars. It all seemed so unfair.
In his statement Parker said: “Up until recently, from all of Tame Impala’s record sales outside of Australia, I had received zero dollars. Someone high up spent the money before it got to me.”
And now that “high up” person has spoken out. Steve Pavlovic, the founder of Modular records, says the situation “arose out of an unfortunate misunderstanding due to their being different ways of calculating and paying mechanical royalties in the US compared to the process we were used to in the U.K. and Australia. We didn’t realise that the different statutory process in the US required Modular to deduct and pay the artists’ mechanical royalties directly.”
On legal action between BMG Rights Management and Modular, Pavlovic states the dealings between the two entities have been amiable. “Together we established that we needed an audit to work out exactly what we needed to pay. I’ve always offered BMG complete access to our distributors’ records for them to audit and identify exactly what is owed by Modular US.” Legal proceedings have since been dropped, as Pavlovic says they have been able to calculate payments due outside of court. “My share is a fraction of what has been reported in the press,” he states.
Pavlovic is quick to offer an apology to Tame Impala: “I’m sincerely sorry that Kevin became caught in the middle of the Modular and Universal dispute – it’s an outcome I regret terribly,” but also rebukes the statements made: “Kevin has been the recipient of considerable international advances from BMG, Universal and Modular. Now that his international mechanical accounting has been resolved I remain committed to doing whatever I can to move my side of things forward as speedily as possible. I’ve obviously got a lot of regard and respect for Kevin and think he’s one of the most talented musicians I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with.”
According to the founder dealings became messy when Universal/Interscope took over the release of the Tame Impala album Lonerism in 2013 and the rest of the Tame Impala catalogue in 2014. In regards to Universal he says “I continue to hope for what I have always hoped for: a fair and equitable ‘divorce’.” The statement comes as he continues legal battles with the major label over ownership of the company. The Supreme Court of New South Wales recently ruled in favor of Universal Music Australia in a move that enables the major label to absorb Modular and it’s artists, declaring that Pavlovic was bound by a December 2014 settlement that he claimed had been terminated.
“We are very pleased by the court ruling and look forward to continuing to work with Modular and its artists under the Universal Music Group umbrella,” said George Ash, president, Universal Music Asia Pacific. “The Court’s ruling is in the best interests of artists and supports the label’s leadership transition and ongoing success.”
In a statement that smacks with melancholy Pavlovic says goodbye to the label: “I have no choice but to walk away from a company that I founded 18 years ago and that has had the opportunity and pleasure of developing both the domestic and international careers of artists such as Wolfmother, The Presets, Ladyhawke, The Avalanches, Cut Copy, Bag Raiders, Tame Impala, Sneaky Sound System and most recently Movement. I stand by those achievements – I took the risk and invested my own money to see them reach a broader audience. But at the end of the day that company was me. I created it. You can take me out of Modular but you can’t take the things that made Modular successful out of me.”
As with any label, the success also lies with the artists who create the music, and we hope that after this legal circus, all can be righted for Parker and Tame Impala.
We recently featured the band in our best songs of 2015 so far, and can’t wait for the release of their next album and Splendour show!
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hefh9dFnChY]
So you just read our feature on the worst songs of 2015 so far, and I know that you heard some things you can never un-hear. You might be wishing that you’d googled the crimes of a serial killer instead – it might have been less disturbing. You might have even preferred to read about this creepy thing going on in Sweden right now. But, just like that time you drank a bottle of Passion Pop and vomited all over your best friends favourite shoes, some things just can’t be undone. Turn off that Ed Sheeran track you have been listening to on repeat to heal your pain. You’re better than that. We can get through this together.
Our “worst of” list gave you six tracks, and I am a strong believer that there must be at least twice as much good in the world, so let’s look on the bright side with the 12 best songs of 2015 so far.
12. Holy Holy: You Cannot Fall For Love Like a Dog (Album: When the Storms Would Come)
Holy Holy are already making massive waves and their debut album isn’t due out until the 17th of July. If this track is anything to go by, it is going to be expansive and powerful – a crowning achievement for the Brisbane/Melbourne duo. The pair, who we interviewed last year, produce a sound that is sophisticated and effortless, with sublime melodies, amplified by driving guitars.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrVadO8BHRk]
11. The Chemical Brothers: Go ft. Q-Tip (Album: Born in the Echoes)
Daft Punk did it with their album Random Access Memories and The Chemical Brothers do it again with Go. Listeners are transported to a sleazy jaw-clenching nightclub in the best possible way -The kind of place where open chested shirts and questionable facial hair choices are not only accepted, but encouraged. And it sure as hell is better than the goddamn Salmon Dance
If it was a club from Saturday Night Live character Stefon, it would be the one called: “Thank You! Located inside a crashing blimp, this Eurotrash utopia is the creation of beatnik doctor Soul Patch Adams. This place has everything: Zip lines, fish food, that fat Hawaiian guy that no one invited, an old Pakistani woman that looks like a California Raisin…”
From album Born in the Echoes due out on July 17, I’ve got my dancing shoes ready for a marathon. Pre-order it here.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO2RPDZkY88]
10. Gang of Youths: Vital Signs (Album: The Positions)
Australian indie rock outfit Gang of Youths are just killing it with their vibrant chorale sound. They have all the weight and depth of bands like The National or Arcade Fire, but with far fewer collective years – so just imagine where they’ll end up! Vital Signs is an epic track spanning seven and a half minutes with a pulsing drumbeat and an anthemic build that reminds me of everything good about indie music. As wonderful, if not more so live than on record, make sure you get to a GoY gig as soon as you can.
9. A$AP Rocky: L$D (Album: At.Long.Last.A$AP)
To be honest, I wasn’t sure about A$AP Rocky’s latest release until I heard this track (but read our album review here to judge for yourself.) My best advice: turn it up loud. Real loud. You don’t just want to hear those sweet opening bass notes, you want to feel them right down in your toes. Overlaid with some saucy vocals from A$AP it’s enough to make a nun hot under the collar. It’s slick, smooth and surprisingly lovely. Considering it’s the only non-rap track on a sprawling rap album, we’re thinking A$AP could even consider a career move to making indie-psych music in the future. Oh, and for a stunning live rendition of this track, check this video out from A$AP’s recent performance on Jimmy Fallon’s late night talk show.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feDLr_e4v5A]
8. Torres: Sprinter (Album: Sprinter)
Torres weaves a story with her voice in a way that evokes PJ Harvey or Fiona Apple, but has a sadness that is all her own. Considering that Torres, aka Mackenzia Scott worked with PJ Harvey producer Robert Ellis and Portishead’s Adrian Utley, it’s not surprise that this is one hell of a gorgeous sound. Sprinter is a complex, emotional and enthralling track that makes you feel everything. I may be a glutton for punishment but I can’t stop listening.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6SIw30IOt8]
7. Alpine: Foolish (Album: Yuck)
The first taste of sophomore album Yuck, Foolish (which was appropriately released on April Fool’s Day) is very much the opposite. Sweet, syrupy and delicious, it’s a track that will no doubt leave you on a sugar high. Foolish sails you down a little river of good vibes and leaves you feeling toe tappingly blissful. The follow-up to their chart topping debut album A is for Alpine, Yuck officially dropped last week – purchase it here.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6I4MZUtCCo]
6. Editors: No Harm (Album TBC)
Some songs just can’t be summed up in words. I could try and say it’s like the genetic recombination of Nick Cave and James Blake but it still wouldn’t sum up the cold, dark, haunted beauty in a way that does justice. Having been around for a lot longer than other artists on this list, it’s pure bliss to see bands who can consistently release songs of this calibre, four albums and more than a decade into their musical career. Deep, rich and seriously powerful, you need to listen to this track.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/200911419″]
5. Tyler, The Creator: The Brown Stains of Darkeese Latifah Part 6-12 (Remix) (Album: Cherry Bomb)
Sometimes he can be hard to love, but when Tyler the Creator is on, he can also be hard to hate. The Odd Future ringleader, (who will be visiting our fair country later this year) just dropped his new album Cherry Bomb, and this is easily our favourite song from the release. On The Brown Stains… he is all the way on. It’s not ground breaking, sure, but it doesn’t need to be. Loud and obnoxious and raw in a way that’s really quite unique to the gravel-voiced rapper, there’s so much to love about this track.
4. Tame Impala: Cause I’m a Man (Album: Currents)
Kevin Parker and co. keep on dishing out their own brand of chill psychedelic licks that melt faces like ice cream on hot pavement. If I had to sum this track up with a picture it would look like this:
Their HIGHLY anticipated new album, Currents, is due out July 17th (the same day as the Holy Holy record, so it’s going to be a great day for Aus music!) If you need me, don’t, because I will be very much unavailable. Let’s hope that they actually see money from the sales this time. The internationally renowned psych-rockers will also be headlining July’s Splendour in the Grass, meaning that we’ll be among the first in the world to hear the new material performed live!
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hefh9dFnChY]
3. Courtney Barnett: Pedestrian at Best (Album: Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit)
I love our homegrown rock poet Courtney Barnett with a big heart and a healthy dose of jealousy. Who doesn’t? We love her so much that we’ve not just taken photos of the Melbourne artist rocking out, but we’ve reviewed her live show twice.
I often find myself wondering why I can’t be witty and profound while making catchy ballads about smoking weed and tending to my garden. Why can’t I be a modern female Bob Dylan with a great haircut? The answer is because she already does it so well, and deep down I think I am ok with that. Pedestrian At Best was one of our first tastes of her brilliant album Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit, which has gone on to become one of our absolute favourite albums of the year so far.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-nr1nNC3ds]
For now I will just make do with singing the lyrics really loud. Do it with me: I’m a Scorpiooooo!
Feels good right?
2. Alabama Shakes: Don’t Wanna Fight (Album: Sound & Color)
Brittany Howard can do no wrong. When the first single off Sound and Color, burst onto the airwaves in February I was a little nervous. I loved the band’s debut Boys & Girls so much I wasn’t sure they could live up to the hype. But all my expectations were turned on their head with that husky squeal, that soft growl, that old soul bursting from her 25 year old body. It’s pure ecstasy. If you loved their first album, you’ll love their second offering even more. Brilliantly complex and overwhelmingly diverse, it’s another one of our absolute highlights of the year so far.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nin-fiNz50M]
1. Kendrick Lamar: King Kunta (Album: To Pimp a Butterfly)
Was there ever any question that this would be at the top of the list? Kendrick Lamar is the golden goose with the Midas touch in 2015. Yes, that’s a lot of references to gold, but probably not enough to summarise how amazing this song is. It is smart, soulful, catchy and everything you want from a “song of the year.” Plus, if that isn’t enough it also incites some amazing dance moves, even from a rhythmically impaired white girl like me. As politically and culturally powerful as it is musically brilliant, this was a shoe-in for our top choice.
Try NOT dancing like Taylor Swift every time it comes on.
2015, I’d dare you to release a better song, but I am not sure my heart could take it.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRK7PVJFbS8]
“Up until recently, from all of Tame Impala’s record sales outside of Australia, I had received…. zero dollars. Someone high up spent the money before it got to me.”
That’s what Kevin Parker of Tame Impala told fans on his Reddit AMA about a month ago, in response to a question about people who download and stream his music for free. Now, we find out that there’s more to the story.
The founder of Australian record label Modular is being sued by BMG over the unpaid royalties for Tame Impala’s music. The West Australian says that if they win, Steve ‘Pav’ Pavlovic will fork over $588,150 to cover the costs of the sales of their self-titled EP and two albums InnerSpeaker and Lonerism in the US. An official complaint has been lodged with a New York court, stating the damages and asking for a trial.
But, is it true?
In a statement to The Music Network, the label’s owner Universal Music Australia claimed that the lawsuit had nothing to do with Modular, and was instead concerned with a different label in the US. They have denounced the lawsuit as “baseless” and said that it “will be withdrawn or dismissed by the Court.”
Here is the full statement:
Universal Music Australia is aware of media reports concerning a legal claim filed against Mr Pavlovic and certain companies, including Universal Music Australia and Modular Recordings.
No documents relating to the legal claim have been served on Universal Music Australia or Modular Recordings. It is unfortunate that Universal Music Australia and Modular Recordings were not contacted by BMG about the allegations before the case was filed. Had they been contacted, BMG would have realised that the companies should not have been named in the legal claim.
Universal Music Australia and Modular Recordings totally reject the claim made by BMG that they are in any way liable for unpaid mechanical royalties relating to the band Tame Impala. Universal Music Australia and Modular Recordings were not involved in contracting with BMG over mechanicals for sales of Tame Impala recordings in the United States.
A totally separate US registered company – owned and operated by Mr Pavlovic – is responsible for contracting with BMG and for any mechanicals liability. Mr Pavlovic, who is no longer employed by Modular Recordings, has confirmed that this matter has nothing to do with Universal Music Australia or Modular Recordings in Australia.
Universal Music Australia and Modular Recordings are confident that the claim against them is baseless and will be withdrawn or dismissed by the Court.
Tame Impala will be hitting home soil for Spendour In The Grass next month. Their upcoming album Currents will be out the week before on July 17th.
In the lead up to their late July album release date for third album Currents, Tame Impala are doing a pretty good job at keeping interest levels at a constant all-time high, bating fans with a slew of singles and now, more recently, video clips.
Last week they shared an extremely tripped out visual representation of new track ‘Cause I’m A Man, in all it’s spinning, distorted, 3D glory. But it seems the good times keep on rolling with today’s release! Live videos are also often leaked from concerts, whether the band necessarily agrees to it or not. But, there has yet to be a live video like this before.
Teaming up with Dan Dipaola and Megan McShane, the human version of the band is substituted for muppets, who do just as good a job performing the track as the real deal. See for yourself:
Tame Impala will be in the country for this year’s Splendour In The Grass, with Currents dropping July 17.
The video for Tame Impala‘s single ‘Cause I’m A Man has been released, and it doesn’t disappoint. It’s another heady Kevin Parker adventure through a transitional world, set to his introspectively pained lyrics. Highly colourful and explorative of motivation’s dissonance with the rigidity of conscience, the video matches beautifully with the song. take a trip through the mind of Parker and co, as we travel through a dizzying world of debauchery and hazy moral compasses. Lyrically, the tongue-in-cheek track shows Parker questioning the nature of mistakes and dispositions. The seriously smooth rhythm really lets you float away, and the video couldn’t complement it better.
We’ve been waiting a long, long time for new Tame Impala, and we couldn’t behaviour that it’s here. First single Let It Happen signified an interesting shift in sound, and everything else we’ve heard about the new album (including third single Eventually), has only made us more excited and less patient.
From what we know so far, the album has incorporated more electronic elements than anything we heard on their first two offerings. In a recent interview with NME, Parker remarked, “Listening to [our music] was very much a kind of headphone, solitary experience. Which is cool, but I’ve moved on from that… I wanted to make something that from the sound of it could be down at the club.
I just realised that I’d never heard Tame Impala played somewhere with a dancefloor or where people were dancing.”
Currents will be out on July 17. Marking their first Aussie gig in a long time, Tame Impala will be gracing the stage at Splendour in the Grass at the end of July, meaning that we’ll be among the first in the world to hear the new stuff live.
Anyway that’s enough from us, have a looksey, it’s everything we’ve come to expect from one of the most thoughtful minds in music:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hefh9dFnChY]
Kevin Parker‘s Tame Impala is the gift that keep on giving, dropping new song Eventually off their highly anticipated next album Currents.
On that note, the album release date has been confirmed for a July 17th. Expect to hear something akin to a “contemporary hip hop production, Thriller, fried 70s funk, the irreverent playground Daft Punk presented on Discovery, swathes of future pop and emotional 80s balladry, all filtered through a thoroughly modern psychedelic third eye.”
Currents Tracklist:
- Let It Happen
- Nangs
- The Moment
- Yes I’m Changing
- Eventually
- Gossip
- The Less I Know the Better
- Past Life
- Disciples
- ‘Cause I’m A Man
- Reality In Motion
- Love/Paranoia
- New Person, Same Old Mistakes
Wowza, we can’t wait. Other offerings from the forthcoming album is the track Disciples, ‘Cause I’m A Man and Let It Happen, which the band have released over the last month or so.
Taking it’s sweet time, Eventually really does come around eventually. Soft and shimmering, it sounds almost like Parker is attempting to send you off on a psychedelic dream, with his new best friend – the synthesiser – really being the star of the show. It’s a sound only Tame Impala can really pull off, and one we can’t wait to hear more of! Check out it below for some trippy Friday tunes.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHe8kKO8uds]
Apparently the Japanese version of iTunes has the inside scoop regarding the previously undisclosed release date of Tame Impala‘s hugely anticipated third album, Currents…
After the release of a third song via Kevin Parker‘s Reddit AMA, a pre-order package for the album revealed that Currents is about 51 minutes long, and comprised of 13 tracks. It also noted that the album is apparently available in Japan on July 18th. Whilst this news is yet to be confirmed, it would be one of the cruelest pranks in the world should this be a joke. You can check the screen grab and supposed track-listing below:
Leaked Currents Tracklist?
01. Let It Happen
02. Nangs
03. The Moment
04. Yes I’m Changing
05. Eventually
06. Gossip
07. The Less I Know the Better
08. Past Life
09. Disciples
10. ‘Cause I’m A Man
11. Reality In Motion
12. Love/Paranoia
13. New Person, Same Old Mistakes