Hello and welcome to another episode of awesome albums here on wxv 80.3 FM and wxv.com I'm your host user and as always I'm joined with my co-host me Eddie and Eddie last week We promised a listeners that we were gonna talk about currents by Taman Paula. Yes currents fantastic album came out in 2015 Third studio album by Taman Paula and it was a real deviation from their sound yet. It still worked for the group Yes, I mean there's some elements that you hear and just take you that's past you know Taman Paula But they really did their best to improve on their sound and make something different for this one I personally love the subject matter that's covered with in currents We have an album here full of reflection anxiety a little bit of love and insecurity and Kevin Kevin Parker starts it off with Let it happen right from the get-go the way that I interpreted this song was Kevin is talking about life throwing unexpected things in his way And he just has to go with it, you know, he's got to let it happen He has no control and there is a little bit of anxiety there Especially when he says like all this running around and I can't fight it much longer It's a great start to the album and it does open up that theme of just anxiety and loss of control But you know Kevin has that mindset of work. He just needs to go with it Yeah, and I think the instruments highlight the idea of anxiety because Kevin Parker decides to use traditional instruments and kind of create loops out of them and it's reflective in the song like in the middle because all of a sudden you think like the song is kind of glitching out when in fact It's actually glitching in being a transition for the rest of the song So, you know, you think like this thing's just looping around it turns out that that loop is the foundation for the next segment of the song And I think Kevin Parker pulls it off amazingly and makes a seven-minute long track not feel like a seven-minute long track I completely agree when I first heard the song it was absolutely mind-blowing when I first heard this album It took me a while to get past the first song because I loved it so much Let it happen is definitely I highlight of the album So then we move on to the next song which is a moment which continues an overall theme of just letting things happen So in the song Kevin says in the end it's coming there's something left to do but I'm still not certain just how I'm gonna feel and You know, I interpret that as there are some things that you can't change and things that you can't prepare for I mean the only thing you really can do is just prepare for you know that moment that's gonna happen You just have to be in that moment to realize the circumstances and then determine what you're gonna do next And I think this song as well as the first track showcases, you know, like the overall theme currents Yeah, and the course of it repeating it's getting closer It's getting closer kind of shows a little bit of insight into that anxiety of that moment approaching like you mentioned all the uncertainty around it But when it comes down to it all of a sudden everything makes sense and it's one of the weirdest feelings ever I love the way this track also sounds because I mean I love the steady rock beat It's a little bit more happy a little bit more optimistic and I mean just the way Kevin layers it up And colors this song is just incredible.
Yes, the moment is definitely another highlight for me in the track listening And also, you know, we had those loops in the first track He's repeating it's getting closer again, which you know Kevin does play with looping throughout the album up next we get yes I'm changing which you know, he talks about how it feels like something is ending But also there's a new beginning there just like the song to suggest it's about development within you at yourself You know life is moving can't you see online that also again connects to the theme life is constantly moving and it doesn't stop for us It's a really nice laid-back Ballad-y sounding track and yet Kevin Parker is still able to put in and mix well these spacey synths While still delivering in a line that I like to highlight is this line that says there's another future waiting there for you It's kind of telling this romantic partner of his that things are changing and the future does look better It's kind of trying to stay optimistic while being realistic at the same time Yeah, I definitely agree You know Kevin is going through a lot within himself throughout this album and I can see why he decided to call this album currents because Lyrically we have this back and forth with him, but also in the music we have this back and forth with music I feel like the music is constantly flowing like currents in a body of water and then much like how currents shift up next is eventually which I feel is a thematic shift within the album now. He has more to focus on love and relationships Lyrically eventually is a breakup song You know wish I could turn you back into a stranger because if I was never in your life You wouldn't have to change it and it's overall like a sad song that Kevin puts in the beginning of the album And he really highlights on these themes with the music kind of like doing an answer callback type of thing when he finishes saying a hard-hitting line the music will all of a sudden just get a little bit aggressive like that bass will get fuzzy and And it all even speeds up just a little bit and then back when he returns to wanting to say something the music calms down Yes, it makes the overall experience of the album far greater than you could ever expect And then we have another shift in the album with the less I know the better. I personally love this song It's another sad song, you know Kevin, you know, here's about his romantic interest in possibly fooling around with other guys but it does sound different to the past tracks that we've heard and Well, I was listening to this album I did some research and even Kevin says it doesn't belong on the album It's funny because it's the most popular song in the album and possibly their most popular song ever and then let's jump to another shift in the album The cycles when I first heard it. I was kind of blown away You have his voice in the distance, which sounds great in my opinion But you know he has a strangely upbeat Sound to the song and I love it It just shows one of the many sounds that Kevin decided to experiment with on this album and it's a short song And it's definitely the most different sounding of them all Kevin Parker opts to use more traditional rock instruments like guitar bass drums and very minimal scents or keyboards and that and Honestly, it's the most stripped back song on the record But at the same time, it's nice even though it's short It kind of pays homage to the sound that he was coming from before this record Yes, yes, I agree And then these next three songs because I'm a man reality in motion and love paranoia kind of touch on the same subject in different Perspectives, you know, there's that concept theme of love in the second half of the album and relationships And you know, because I'm a man kind of talks about Kevin's masculinity and how his masculinity kind of Caused him to do like a lot of these decisions that he regrets But his answer to these mistakes are just oh cuz I'm a man, you know We have him saying he doesn't always think before he does and because I'm a man that's the only answer I've got for you, which was a strange shift in lyrical substance But I personally liked it.
I also like it because this is another one of those less aggressive songs where it's almost slow badly like But at the same time like when a chorus comes in it still sounds really nice with like all these layers of guitars Stents and bass and all that stuff and really it's very introspective and just showing about his side of the story and how his emotions all line up with this And then we get to reality in motion which continues the theme of sex and relationships in the album But also it highlights Kevin's insecurities again, you know, decisions are approaching reality in motion Hesitation in decision making he wants to make the first move in a new romantic and sexual Relationship, but he just can't he's just being really insecure and one of the lines in it is I'm way too sober for this and Really it kind of shows how reality can be a real kick to the face sometimes and basing it can be really hard It kind of also shows this mindset with the music because like in the middle of the song, you know There's a break in it where everything slows down and then all of a sudden it crescendos into the chorus where you can really hear all the different layers that he has in this song and Showing that kind of reality in motion where maybe in the beginning of some of these songs You know, he just hits you with everything and all the instruments are right there from the first second But then in this song he really breaks it down for us and gives you a chance to really pay attention and listen to How much stuff he's trying to pack into this song and it continues with this idea of self-realization in love paranoia Where one of the lines is I'm not as honest as I should be it's kind of like admitting how you know Love meant something to him, but at the same time if he admits that all of a sudden it becomes way too real for him But also Kevin explores the uncertainty of love within this song There's this line that I really like am I really gonna cross the line just to find out what you're typing And of course that goes into him mind to break into his significant other's phone and see if they are texting, you know, other Potential partners and I feel like that's Kevin being relatable because I feel like maybe a lot of us go through that during a new relationship Like we're wondering like oh, are they done to somebody else and we have that thought wherever we were just like oh Should I bring into their phone should I check their text messages? But also the repercussions of that is that that person will be like oh, you don't trust me like And it just really hurts the relationship and I feel like that is what he goes into on to there's two sides of the song with love and paranoia So when he focuses on the insecurity, it's very strong Yeah, almost like yeah, there's no way for things to be going so well and so right something has to be up Again, Kevin Parker kind of showing a little bit of insecurities and a little bit of his realistic train of thought that comes to this To come to relationships exactly and I feel like that all comes together on the final track new person same old mistakes you know this song I feel like is a continuation of previous song and the truck was saying yes, I'm changing and You know Kevin talks about the feeling Like you think you are becoming a new person you think that you are developing however you are making the same mistakes So like you can't possibly be a new person when you're making the same old mistakes And that's something that I know I felt before but you as a person can go back and forth between your past personalities and your Current personalities and I feel like that's another thing that plays in very well with the title of the album currents Because it's just back and forth and it's constant movement. It's never just stagnant. It's always just back and forth Yeah, and I think that's especially reflective on this song because for most of the song It's dark that bass is very eerie and he throws in a harpsichord there too and the chorus of his own voices just sound Really ominous, but then in the middle of the track he changes it up and it becomes a little bit more in tune with the rest of the album as it's including spacey synths and More melodic and a little bit more optimistic sounding But then right after that break it quickly just turns back into that eerie darker tones It's almost like he's stuck in like this negative thought loop of kind of kidding himself But this line in there that goes I know that you think it's fake.
Maybe fake is what I like Kind of showing him that yeah, he might be a new person in admitting this stuff But essentially he's the same person with the same mistakes too or he's still somebody who's repeating the same mistakes of his past So really the song is a culmination of a lot of things And I kind of feel that this whole album can kind of be played on repeat in a way With it being new person same mistakes being the actual beginning of the album where he's thinking of I'm a new person this and that kind of embracing all these characteristics of him that he usually keeps hidden But in the same mistakes where he goes through like a la paranoia He goes through the idea of the less I know the better or even on let it happen in the moment where he's going through He has all these doubts and all these problems that he knows that he's gonna encounter But he kind of puts on a new face for them And that's why he kind of has these new ideas and new introspective perspectives on it. Oh, wow, I never thought of it like that Yeah, yeah And it just sheds light onto like a whole another level of you like listening to the album like having that in your mind Brings a new perspective to the album. Yeah, like a song on the moment where he knows this feeling way too well But he still can't put his finger on How he's actually gonna do stuff if he was a new person he would know what to do right before the moment right after the moment But since he is doing the same old mistakes He's still overthinking everything and he's still in that haze even though at the end of the day He'll get through it. Yeah, it's like him and his problems are just in a vast ocean and he's trying to get out He's trying to like swim through the currents, but he just has to like go with it in order to survive So Eddie, uh, we'd like to talk about some of your highlights off of this album Yeah, sure definitely let it happen has to be one of my top tracks on there I love the way it introduces us to the themes on the album and just sonically I love the way it sounds and I could have that song on repeat for a while but I also have to give major props to the moment because I'm a man and Also a new person same mistake Yes, and I agree with uh your stance on what happened and the moment, but also I really love yes I'm changing and the combo with the new person same old mistakes I feel like that's like a one two punch that's you know separated by other songs But I think that can be the connection with those two songs But it's also just like you know back and forth with his mindset like oh, yeah, I'm changing But also like oh I have these same old mistakes So like possibly can't be another thing that I'd like to like mention on new person same old mistakes Is that I feel like kevin's vocals on that track perfectly lines up with the whole currents movement You know he starts up from right here and then he goes down back up to here You know like that's how his voice flows in that song and I loved it when I first heard it And then you know another highlight for me was eventually I think that's another great song that starts the theme of love and relationships That song also reminds me of the movie eternal sunshine of the spotless mind where you know the main character This item wants to forget his ex girlfriend So he wipes his memory of her and she doesn't say anything with him and they end up falling back together again But it's like that theme of like because I know that I'll be happier and I know you will be too But will they will they if they erase their memories of themselves They're eventually going to make the same mistakes again And now Eddie do you want to talk about some of the things that didn't really work for you on this album?
Yeah, two little things I'm not too big of a fan on disciples is a little bit of a shorter song and kind of deviates from the rest of the meaning of the album and Also, I see why Kevin Parker tried to spice the album up with these songs that are basically interludes But I mean some of them I can do without like nags I mean it does sound pretty for what it is, but Right after let it happen. I just want to listen to the moment, you know Yeah, or like a song like gossip in between the lesson of the better and eventually Exactly, and you know there's some moments in the album where I'm just like I can justify like why this is put on here Especially with like such a loose meaning of the word currents for example the lesson of the better It is a fantastic song don't get me wrong, but I will agree with Kevin. I don't think it goes on the album I think it might work better as a single You know that being said still a fantastic song. I absolutely love that song Also, the shifts between the themes of the album like you know the first half of the album really doubles into Kevin as a person You know he's more fucking on the first half of the album and then towards the middle It's when it starts shifting into like love and relationships I want to hear more of the first half of the album that I think the first half is definitely stronger than the second half Still the second half still has it's you know really good moments such as new person single mistakes But if I could have heard an album with just songs like that it happened the moment.
Yes, I'm changing it and eventually sign me up Yeah, especially because Kevin Parker does have a lot of really good introspective things that he talks about that sure that he's writing from on a Personal perspective, but at the same time I feel like it's super relatable to all of his listeners in some way shape or form and that People can really learn a little bit more about themselves from listening specifically to that first half of the album more than the second half And if you don't like listening to the lyrical content of the album You know Kevin always loves to spice up his music with these sonic landscapes I mean just look at the cover of the album and listen to the songs I feel like you're there in whatever the heck that space is yeah, whatever that little Spherical thing is like going through it feels like you're there like yeah, I you know personally I don't like nags, but like when I listen to nags I look at the cover art and I feel like it makes sense Yeah, I don't know what it is that's making sense, but it makes sense Same and I guess that wraps up our discussion of current by tama pala tune in next week when we talk about blonde by frank ocean This has been another episode of awesome albums here wxiv 8.3 FM and wxiv.com