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Review Sat May 16 2015

Tame Impala Brings Hypnotic Grooves to Riviera

Though most 'psychedelic rock' music contains some of the most saturated and intricate production, the main ingredients are pretty much the same: some sort of brain-melting guitar, echoed cadences and reverberating bassline patterns combined to make a lengthy drug-infused jam session. The only question: is it a good trip, or bad trip?

Playing new material to a sold-out crowd at Riviera on Friday after a two-year hiatus, Aussie paisley-poppers Tame Impala concocted a hypnotizing whirlwind of hazy reverb and fuzzy guitar riffs into a blissfully nostalgic, constantly dazzling and undeniably groovy jaunt to wonderland.

"Sexy Chica-GO-ans!... is that how you say it? 'ChicaGOans?'" band frontman Kevin Parker sincerely asked the audience. "We've been here many-a-time... I think I'm going to dedicate my life to John Belushi."

The lanky, barefoot crooner Paker shook his shaggy mophead as his falsetto floated above thick, juicy waves of reverbed strings and glistening synthesizers through face-lifted favorites such as the heady "Why Won't You Make Up Your Mind?" and flowering "Apocalypse Dreams." Drummer Julien "Frenchie" Barbagallo punctured the beat, providing a military rumble that made a loopy sound effect like a scratched CD stuck on repeat.

Their new album Currents isn't due for two more months, but the five-piece rockers have already been released four singles, each track providing a slightly new avenue for Tame Impala to venture. "Cause I'm a Man" stands out as an oozing, sexual R&B track where Parker simultaneously apologizes and flirts--you know, 'cause he's a man. "Eventually" brings a more vulnerable side, with heavy church organs uplifting Parker's simple voice to a more emotional side. And the near-10-minute groove "Let it Happen," which they dared to start the show with, mutated into a beautiful mural of loops, pulls and drops, oozing with vibrant whirrs and melodies and prescribing the audience with their most pungent substance right off the bat.

Perhaps the most intoxicating part of their live show was their visuals--the group stood as silhouettes in front of a line of colored spotlights and a massive screen of interchanging shapes and textures that bled together to the beat of the music, pulling the audience into their hypnotic jaunt that brought the joys of an old paisley-pop record elevated by 21st century additives.

 
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Feature Thu Dec 31 2015

Our Final Transmission Days

By The Gapers Block Transmission Staff

Transmission staffers share their most cherished memories and moments while writing for Gapers Block.

Read this feature »

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Transmission is the music section of Gapers Block. It aims to highlight Chicago music in its many varied forms, as well as cover touring acts performing in the city. More...
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