Round-up Tracks: Tame Impala, Tall Ships & more

Something’s flowing on Tame Impala’s ‘Currents’. On the songs showcased so far from the group’s forthcoming third album, they span from emotion-drenched disco to quickfire lo-fi production, right through to straight-up R&B ballads. It’s a juggernaut in the making, and new song ‘Eventually’ adds further fuel to the thought that something special awaits round the corner.

A twisted take on break-up songs, this latest cut sees Kevin Parker delivering direct rejection over sweltering synths. Boiling over with regret, it’s another lesson in precision. It’s just as capable of delivering in simmered down refrains as it is a bellowed-out chorus. Like ‘Let It Happen’, there’s a sharp pendulum swing between empty space and chunky instrumentals. If there’s any running thread currently swimming through ‘Currents’, it’s the sound of Parker exerting more control than ever. (Jamie Milton)

Tall Ships describe their newest song ‘Life Goes On’ as “the dark side of our new [‘Will To Life’] 7”,” and, aptly, as “what 5 more years of the Tories would sound like.” So, naturally, it’s pretty bleak. “Life goes on, goes on, for much too long,” croons frontman Ric Phethean over a lonely singular guitar, a slight hint of bitter aggression underpinning sorrowful loops and melodies. Steadily, it begins to build cinematically, piling layers elegantly on top of one another.

There is hope struggling underneath - maybe it is all going to be okay. As ‘Life Goes On’ reaches a characteristic Tall Ships crescendo, the darkness clears and the overlaying vocal harmonies align. This is hardly the first time that Tall Ships have managed to juxtapose lyrics filled with despair with a disconcerting contradictory feeling of joy, and wverything about ‘Life Goes On’ lends itself to sorrow and yet somehow it feels uplifting, too. Tall Ships aren’t lying; ‘Life Goes On’ showcases their darker side, but it looks like they haven’t given up completely on the light just yet either. (Henry Boon)

Shamir’s major label debut arrived in the shape of the hyperactive, haters-be-damned dance anthem ‘On the Regular.’ Closely followed by the equally spring-loaded ‘Call It Off,’ androgyny and disco propulsion came to the infectious fore, but there was always an inkling that Shamir’s beautifully crystalline vocals were capable of more versatile things.

‘Darker’ confirms those sneaking suspicions in trouncingly impressive style. ‘Darker’ pulls a complete U-turn on Shamir’s previous singles ahead of his debut album ‘Ratchet,’ trading in Duracell Bunny level mania in for an unexpected curveball of quiet reflection. “You know it doesn’t get darker, unless you expect it to, cos it’s getting harder to contain the truth,” sings Shamir, skipping across octaves like he’s playing a laidback game of hopscotch. He has the rare gift of voice that sounds like it has a life of its own. ‘On the Regular’ this most definitely is not, but Shamir and regular aren’t words that often go together. (El Hunt)

On 2013’s ‘The Flower Lane’, Real Estate guitarist Matt Mondanile shifted the focus of his Ducktails project from hushed, ambient-leaning psychedelia to disco-inspired dream pop; a move that put him in the realm of other glossy alt-pop songwriters such as Kindness and Blood Orange. With the announcement of his new record ‘St. Catherine’, however, Mondanile is seemingly going back to his roots while maintaining that pristine edge - if ‘Headbanging In The Mirror’ is anything to go by.

Produced by Rob Schnapf (Beck, Elliott Smith), Mondanile’s distinct, woozy guitars and saccharine keys make a welcome return, while also sporting the day-dreamy, tranquil strain of melody that made much of 2011’s ‘III: Arcade Dynamics’ so luscious. It’s a hypnotically addictive tune - one that’s more likely to make you lull your head rhythmically rather than bang it - and it’s also a return to the gorgeous springtime anthems that Mondanile does so well; seeping with nostalgia and a lust for life. (Tom Walters)

Oscar Scheller’s take on pop is anything but nostalgic. He’s more likely to throw a modern-day curveball than hark back to a ‘90s obsession. But that doesn’t make him incapable of thinking back to at least one golden age. On ‘Beautiful Words’, he shuns emoji culture and text speak for something more poetic, crying out for some kind of Shakespeare figure to swoop in and save the world. Romance works best when it’s in fancy prose and on a crumpled up piece of paper, he claims. “I just wanna hear beautiful words returning,” he claims, hugging a thesaurus like it’s his only friend.

Instead of dishing out multi-syllable chants, however, Oscar keeps it simple. The North Londoner works best when he avoids fancy tricks and goes straight for hook. And in this age of quick fixes, he’s probably one of the best ambassadors for instant validation. ‘Beautiful Words’ doesn’t need poetry to get its point across. (Jamie Milton)

Aquilo first set down real roots and turned heads with their darkened, soaring lament ‘You There’. It was an arresting first impression, and in the year following its release, the Lake District duo have been busy flexing their increasingly experimental chops. Initially pegged as moody electonica-peddlers, Aquilo have gradually shown leanings towards huge Rn’B ballads instead, and they’ve shown a playful streak, too. Aquilo are one of the few acts capable of making listeners people cry with a track that includes playful saxophone licks. It’s a skill indeed.

‘Put Me Down’ arrives hot on the heels of aforementioned saxy ballad ‘Better Off Without You,’ and though there’s some subtle saxing in the background now and again, by and large Aquilo are focused on a twangier, funkier road. Chimes gradually blot out across the paper as Tom Higham sings “these eyes, they have seen it all, but I’m still getting lost,” and subtly the whole thing creeps into full focus. ‘Put Me Down’ might be tentative when it comes to change - lyrically, at least - but Aquilo prove that they’re constantly in the process of reinvention. (El Hunt)

Tags: Tall Ships, Tame Impala, Listen, Features