Tame Impala - Lonerism
Critic Score
Based on 35 reviews
2012 Ratings: #5 / 1118
Year End Rank: #3
User Score
2012 Rank: #17
Liked by 750 people
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CRITIC REVIEWS

100
The Guardian

Virtually every instrument is caked in distortion, but not the warm, familiar fuzz of an overdriven amplifier. It feels digital, alien, the sound of modern machines going wrong. All this is underpinned by genuinely great songwriting. 

100
AllMusic

This combination gives Lonerism the best of both worlds, allowing it the creative freedom to emerge as one of the most impressive albums of the home-recording era while still feeling superbly refined.

91
Pretty Much Amazing

Lonerism is more fully realized than its predecessor, which may have resulted in some unpredictable obscurity being thrown by the wayside.

91
A.V. Club

Where the debut broke its sound into episodic chunks, Tame Impala now finds a singular sound in the cross-section of timeless pop and psychedelia. 

90
Pitchfork

You feel small while listening to Lonerism, but in a way that makes you appreciate how man, machine, and Mother Nature can harmonize.

90
Crack Magazine

There’s no reinvention present, nor is it needed. If anything, Lonerism feels like a precious collection of uncovered relics.

90
The 405

Only two albums into their careers as Tame Impala, they've birthed a record on the precipice of their personal perfection.

90
God Is in the TV

Despite Lonerism’s inherent sense of emotional isolation he is not alone up there, for deep within the grooves of this euphoric record he has graciously chosen to share with us his view.

90
DIY

‘Lonerism’ is an absolutely amazing and inspiring record. Its arrival is an exciting time for music in general because it is truly “cosmic” pop.

90
Prefix

In an era where a resurgence of retro garage sounds tend bleeds into the same distorted, lofi home bedroom recording sound, Tame Impala possesses an uncanny ear for reconstructing psychedelia that spans decades while remaining undeniably present.

90
No Ripcord

This album is incredibly intriguing and was executed beautifully. 

90
The Line of Best Fit

Sonic exploration is the name of the game on this album, making it a real treat with headphones.

90
NME

Sounds phase in and out, drums thunder, guitars chime with warm, valve amp bite, voices are multi-tracked into luscious harmonies, snatched sentences of speech burble in the background, loops repeat and vocals echo distantly, like they’re drifting in from a radio in another room.

90
Clash

Jinking together the familiar, hallucinogen-fuelled guitar strums and splashed-out lyrics of debut first album, ‘Lonerism’, hits a more dejected nerve.

90
musicOMH

An album that’s likely to appeal to fifty quid blokes who’ll dig the retro influences, people to whom the term ‘chillwave’ actually means something, dance fans and everyone in between.

86
Sputnikmusic

Where Innerspeaker aspired to impress us at every turn, Lonerism is much more discreet and less concerned with being as seductive as possible. This album is more confident in itself, preferring to offer songs that grow on you rather than immediately instigate enthusiasm.

86
Beats Per Minute

This album is meditative, layered and confident, simultaneously cooler and more temperate than its predecessor.

80
The Irish Times

An album of glorious psychedelic highs, synth riffs and hazy, hallucinogenic drifts, Lonerism has layers and layers of the wow factor.

80
The Needle Drop

With a more colorful recording, bolder experiments, and more expansive jams, Australia's Tame Impala shows nothing but improvement on their sophomore effort, Lonerism.

80
The Arts Desk

Lonerism is more than another slab of knowing record-collector rock. An organic, swirling sonic vortex, it’s based around proper, old-fashioned songs.

80
NOW Magazine

Immersive, textural and deceptive, it draws you in with warm reverb and dreamy melodies until you suddenly realize you've been zoning out, lost in the spacious drift.

80
Classic Rock
Not for everyone, then, but suck for long enough on these lysergic nuggets and you’ll get a taste of psych-pop paradise.
80
Q Magazine
While the mix of influences could produce self-indulgent noodling, songwriter Kevin Parker's ear for a tune keeps the songs focused.
80
Mojo
It's all tinged with, real communicable melancholy. 
80
Uncut

Lonerism is more melodic and expansive than 2010 debut Innerspeaker, connecting the disperate dots with real élan.

80
FasterLouder

Just when you’re tempted to discount the record for style-over-substance tendencies, Parker’s lyrics prove to be the half-hidden heart of it all.

80
The Fly

‘Lonerism’ commits neither to pop nor blissed-out transcendence. Instead, a joyous sense of imagination proves to be its own reward.

80
Under the Radar

Arrangements explode or implode, meticulous vocal melodies rub up against perverse sonic sensibilities, genres are hopped, and fidelity is determined by the pure haste of getting ideas down.

80
SPIN

For all the alienation implied by the album's continually warping and waving center of gravity, there are colors here brighter than a child's watercolor rainbow.

80
PopMatters

Lonerism takes you out of yourself, yet somehow deep within yourself, to lay a bedrock of familiar and warming sounds.

80
Tiny Mix Tapes

It may not break much new ground, certainly not for instrumentation or other reasons given, but it’s one of the most solid albums all year. To hate it really would be extraordinary.

80
Drowned in Sound

Even if at times there's a feeling Parker's trying to cram too many ideas into one piece, it's a record that will undoubtedly be used as a benchmark for guitar music of the near future.

75
Paste

While Lonerism does feel a bit more expansive, utilizing even more of mixer Dave Fridmann’s fancy effects pedals and studio wizardry, it uses those tools to delve even further inward.

70
Consequence of Sound

With Lonerism, Tame Impala have doubled down on the kaleidoscopic refractions of their debut. The melodies are clearer, pushed up in the mix, given agency by their immediacy.

70
The Sydney Morning Herald

Even without the recommended drugs, I'm in the Tame Impala camp, especially in the second half of this album ... That's when we more find ourselves in progressive territory as, inevitably, all smart ''heads'' do.

KIDWITHGUNs
80

  ㅤㅤ

RakkSmells
85

AND AS IF WE DIDN'T NEED MORE PROOF I'M A SUCKER FOR CERTAIN GENRES. THIS WAS LITERALLY OH MY GOD WHAT ON EARTH MY EARS JUST HEARD THAT

This is the same deal as You're Dead, I'm gonna give it an absurdly high rating to satisfy myself until I listen again and come up with a final score

Edit: Lonerism is an album that manages to basically be perfect in every conceivable way. The recording quality is harsh, but that just adds to the lonely feel of the album. The instrumentals manage to excel on ... read more

ikmmm
100

This review turned out to be a lot longer than I anticipated, but screw it, this is my only 100 I've ever given (edit: not anymore).

This album is not perfect, and its imperfections make it the most special and unique listening experience that one could have.

I will admit - it took me a while to adjust to this album. Together with seemingly accessible melody passages stands strange production soaked in flangers, delay and reverb - all the things Kevin Parker loves the most. Currents was the ... read more

Alejandro__am7
95

His best album

mnartriam
90

If you couldn’t tell by now

I really like psychedelia

100

só perfeito

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Added on: July 8, 2012