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10.0
77864
10.0 |
The Skinny
A band at the peak of its powers
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10.0
78074
10.0 |
NOW
It’s unabashedly pop-soul but still plenty psychedelic, thanks to band visionary Kevin Parker’s genius studio experimentation
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10.0
78091
10.0 |
The Guardian
The music shifts from 80s action-movie love theme to short-circuiting electronic noise, to hazy slow jam – and back again. It’s absurd yet enveloping. At its conclusion, you’re simultaneously baffled and intrigued
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10.0
78230
10.0 |
Evening Standard
Transcendental pop of the highest order
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9.4
78008
9.4 |
Paste Magazine
He’s been called a visionary for years, but this is the ultimate proof he can see for miles and miles
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9.3
77905
9.3 |
Pitchfork
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
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9.1
78030
9.1 |
Consequence Of Sound
There’s a new world to play in on Currents, a fantastical vision that cranks up the saturation and weakens the laws of physics
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9.0
78060
9.0 |
Clash
It's too early to say if 'Currents' will be the masterpiece that Kevin Parker is remembered for, but not too early to state that this is his best LP yet, a near-perfect album in a body of already remarkably impressive works.
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9.0
78165
9.0 |
The 405
This is as close to pop perfection as music as seen in quite some time
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9.0
77909
9.0 |
FasterLouder
Though it’s still as psychedelic as ever, there’s less guitar and instead Currents is an album of pristine fingerclicks, washes of synth, and disco beats
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9.0
78004
9.0 |
Gig Soup
Thematically, “Currents” functions primarily as a Post Breakup album, where Parker the protagonist; evolvement as an individual weighs down on his relationships
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9.0
77943
9.0 |
Spin
The purest — and most complex — distillation of everything that makes the band such a nearly physical pleasure to listen to, whether it’s the sprawling riffs found on their 2010 debut, Innerspeaker, or this album’s taffy-lurid swirls
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9.0
78398
9.0 |
No Ripcord
His synth work on this record is nothing short of remarkable, and his ability as a producer is further enhanced to a level at which he has no contemporaries
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8.5
78380
8.5 |
The Quietus
It is sparkling and wistful, and it's quite lovely
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8.5
78138
8.5 |
The Line Of Best Fit
An album that's virtually crawling with strong, infectious melodies, it's likely to draw brand new prey to Tame Impala's territory
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8.5
78065
8.5 |
Spectrum Culture
Hearing a band push itself beyond a sort of sonic stasis will nearly always be far more interesting than hearing retreads of past glories
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8.3
78085
8.3 |
A.V. Club
An album that has little in common with its predecessor, yet sounds surprisingly sure-footed
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8.3
77954
8.3 |
Pretty Much Amazing
Currents is a consummate grower, in part the musical evolution is overwhelming
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8.0
77924
8.0 |
The Music
Tame Impala have transformed themselves into the kind of group that writes introspective anthems where the music is the focus
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8.0
77938
8.0 |
Drowned In Sound
A record that demands your reflection and immersion, rather than just mindlessly wigging out
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8.0
78027
8.0 |
State
All 13 tracks here are animated entities, carved from the one futuristic palette (synth, korg, kitchen-sink production) but working off varying energies
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8.0
78029
8.0 |
Digital Spy
Move over Kylie, Australia just found its unlikely pop maestro
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8.0
77880
8.0 |
Mojo
Warped pomp rock, buckled disco, pop music slowly rubbed thin by solvent. Print edition only
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8.0
77881
8.0 |
Q
A dense daring trip into the abyss. Print edition only
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8.0
77882
8.0 |
Uncut
A wide variety of musical tangents without losing the through-line
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8.0
77865
8.0 |
NME
An artist at the peak of his powers
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8.0
78156
8.0 |
DIY
It might not hit with the sit-up-and-listen immediacy of previous albums, but make no mistake, ‘Currents’ is just as accomplished
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8.0
78041
8.0 |
Exclaim
While some fans may be disappointed that Tame Impala phased out the more straight-up rock aspect of their sound, they've maintained their dizzying psychedelia on Currents
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8.0
78047
8.0 |
Under The Radar
Accept this new gift, and maybe even trade in the couch-lock for some dancing
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8.0
78093
8.0 |
The Irish Times
One of the records of the year
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8.0
78213
8.0 |
PopMatters
Australia's most promising young rock band masterfully blend psychedelia with dance music on their bold and epic third album
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8.0
78227
8.0 |
Slant Magazine
"Let It Happen" is a microcosm of the album as a whole, and, notably, guitar riffs are supplanted by finely etched beats complete with finger snaps and brassy synths
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7.9
78488
7.9 |
Earbuddy
Currents may not be as good as Lonerism, but it still hits far more than it misses
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7.5
77936
7.5 |
Crack
The shift in sonic palette – the displacement of sun-bleached, illusory fuzz for a cosmos of super-clean synthetic strings – reflects the real life changes he documents with simple lyricism
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7.0
78141
7.0 |
Rolling Stone
Parker is perhaps the most prominent member of a class of young musicians that is creating some of today's most spectacularly catchy music by being backward-looking and forward-thinking at the same time
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7.0
78205
7.0 |
musicOMH
It’s just a shame that the undeniable majesty of opener Let It Happen sees the album peak at a high it can never hope to reach for the remainder of its existence
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7.0
78239
7.0 |
Beardfood
The album meanders through too much filler, that holds neither musical punch nor lyrical weight
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6.0
78184
6.0 |
God Is In The TV
A genre detour is highly appropriate for a heartbreak album that has calculus at its heart and its commentary
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6.0
78126
6.0 |
The Observer
While Parker’s home studio achievement is impressive – to recap, Prince-like levels of auteur autonomy – the sonic unity here means the tracks bleed into one another
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6.0
78082
6.0 |
All Music
While Currents would have made a decent Kevin Parker solo album, people coming to the album and expecting to hear the Tame Impala they are used to will most likely end up quite disappointed
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6.0
78002
6.0 |
Sputnik Music (staff)
Layers and layers of sound pile on top of one another, obscuring any message, any meaning, except for the decadent beauty of gorging yourself to the brim
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6.0
77866
6.0 |
The Independent
He clearly still can’t resist endlessly layering sound upon sound, sometimes to the detriment of the music
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4.0
77867
4.0 |
The FT
Well-textured but dull, with swirling synths, predictable beats and Parker’s wispy voice making for a frustratingly indeterminate experience
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4.0
77910
4.0 |
Tiny Mix Tapes
The most frustrating thing about Currents is that, for probably the first time, it seems like Parker is writing songs that would be pretty decent and probably interesting if he freed them from this musty aesthetic and gave them room to express themselves
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4.0
78160
4.0 |
The Arts Desk
An exercise in pop with occasional lush melodies, elaborate structuring and, at times, truly, extraordinarily, piss-awful lyrics
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