It’s Genius, I Swear - Tame Impala
By: Various Scribes
I first listened to Tago Mago about a year ago under the advice of a fellow bandmate. It was like NOTHING I had ever heard before. The first time I listened to it I found it slightly unnerving, disturbing even. But somehow I found myself wanting to listen to it again, and then again etc.
The tracks on the album aren't songs in the traditional sense, rather just a never ending series of monster grooves, and ambient hypnotic jamming. The epicenter of the album is the track 'Halleluhwah', 18 minutes of PURE groove, based around a single drum and bass riff.
There are very few weak links on the album. Jaki Liebezeit's drumming is otherworldy, with Holger's bass locking into the grooves, leaving room for the guitars and keyboards to add their subtle tasteful improvisation over the top. The icing on the cake is Damo Suzuki's vocals, which kind of take on the role of another instrument rather than the traditional role of the singer. To this day I still can't understand a single word he says on this album.
Tago Mago was released in 1971 and even today in 2008 it still sounds like it's from some other world in the future.
Don Simper, Tame Impala