Currents

Listening to an album everyday or I buy my friend a beer
Day #3

This is hard for me. I'm actually struggling to rationalize it. Currents is produced immaculately, it's astonishing how by defying everything about modern production Kevin Parker created something so unique, catchy and ear-pleasing. Production so detailed, I feel I'm supposed be transported to another plain of existence, say, for example how the reverse whatever-synth transitions into a regular one in the later section of "New Person, Same Old Mistakes". But man!

I don't feel it. What I do feel is that this type of production is interesting and great, but the huge amounts of compression just make it less emotionally compelling to me, eating away all the different layers, so carefully placed with a thought in mind for them. The grooves that would make up for it are just ok, very safe... To me the lyrics are a bit overly abstract, sometimes reducing the thematic and emotional bone of a song to just a vibe! Also at times the repetitiveness even seemed annoying, like the later half of "Eventually", I hated sitting through that.

Yet, there are exceptions. For example The Less I Know the Better, killer rhythm section, very catchy, you can see the story unraveling before you, it plays the best into the groovier side of this sound. On the other hand there is Let It Happen, which is my personal favourite and does shoot me into another galaxy. So clever, the song where every single idea hits. It feels like giving up your fate to a violent stream, or an underwater current, far into the ocean. The lyrics loosely tie it up with this exciting yet dreadful feeling of unknown. One of the best openers I've ever heard, now that I think about it.

Overall, Currents is sometimes underwhelming, sometimes gratifying. Most of all I admire the ambition and how well it's met! Also the woop-woop, beep-beep sounds make my ears go nice

Beers owed: 0