Finding the InnerSpeaker at Desert Daze 2018
The schedule for Desert Daze was finally released! Now, with a little less than a week before launch, you can plan out everything you want to see.
For those of you living under a rock or hiking the PCT for the last several weeks, Tame Impala will be headlining Desert Daze on Friday night. They are by far the most recognizable band on the schedule and were cited most frequently by friends convincing friends to spend a weekend at Lake Perris. If you’re one of the six people to somehow stumble onto this article, you probably already know all about their groovy-psychedelic rock sound. Now here I must confess, unlike most promo article writers, I know nothing about the technical aspects of music and would suck at describing their performance aesthetic or sound quality. So, if you're looking for that, go find an article written by Jake Marino.
But the black box of artistic creation is the very part I love most about music; the feeling it leaves behind is indescribable, words consistently fail to illustrate the emotional release brought about by a live performance. How do they do it? I haven’t the slightest idea. So, why read on? What could I possibly provide to enhance your Tame Impala concert experience?
The answer is something that has been consistently reinforced in all Homo Sapiens unconscious minds over millenia - storytelling. Everyone can connect to a good story. And what story is Tame Impala telling? 99% of the time I do not take the time to understand the narrative being told by the artist of an album - even worse, I sometimes know ALL the words and can sing along without really knowing what the artist is saying! So below, I will consolidate the narration of Tame Impala’s first record intended for release - InnerSpeaker. My hypothesis is that if you understand the story being told it enables a deeper connection with the artist.
Tame Impala - Innerspeaker
Rolling Stone Album of the Year 2011
Summary: So if you were deaf and could only experience Tame Impala through the sign interpretation of the lyrics, it would appear to be a breakup album. Our protagonist begins the album in love, hoping it is meant to be. We quickly come to see he is not compatible with his lover. And this hurls the narrative into self conscious reflection. Am I special or am I just like everyone else? Do I give up on my dreams and get a job? If my ideas of love are not true how can I be sure that any of my ideas are true? His alter ego comes to rescue him from the spiral of depression. You CAN become your dreams! You are the only one criticizing yourself, no one else matters. Ah, but still the lingering doubt and the debate between the internal and external psyche. Can I trust myself? Am I wasting my time? Give me a sign! The internal torment sends our hero into solitude. Again he reflects on the pressure to please the crowd and how it sent him deeper into his mind. And from the depths of his mind comes an answer. Time will pass and leave you behind. So it’s best to adopt the nature of the time. Give into indifference. For your childhood and your puppy will die too and time will go on. Yes, change is inevitable, but please don’t remind me of home, in case it isn’t quite the same.
‘It Is Not Meant To Be’: The album begins with a romantic couple in tension. Kevin Parker (assuming this album is largely autobiographical) is our protagonist, and and very much the type to always live in the moment - playing on the beach, smoking weed, and hoping that his relationship is meant to be. His lover, on the other hand - “doesn't make friends for friendship's sake.” He sees her as selfish, and acting only for her own benefit. He would rather go with the flow and go with the flow he does; from his perspective, It Is Not Meant to Be.
‘Desire Be Desire Go’: This song title and first verse describe the fleeting nature of desire, how it ebbs and flows, how it comes and goes. The true meaning of the song comes to fruition in the chorus. Parker feels a call to the workforce; a call to the join the herd of sheep; society wants another cog for its machine! “Every day, back and forth, what’s it for?” The ebbing and flowing desire mentioned before references his desire to make trippy music instead of conforming to society's demands. However, he is unsure, “how long is it gonna stay with me.” Should he ride the wave or let it pass? Well I am certainly stoked he rode the wave, instead of giving up on his dreams to be an office jockey.
‘Alter Ego’: The last song introduced the conflict between society and individuality. Tame Impala doesn’t work for the man! The conflict that was projected onto society now moves to its true home; the mind, the Alter Ego, the Innerspeaker. The narrative now switches to a conversation between different parts of the artist’s psyche. “Said the voice from afar, … waiting for everyone else around to agree might take too long.” How familiar is this ongoing debate to everyone? What does your internal conversation sound like? Parker’s is urging him to become his alter ego, that person “you are all meant to be .. the one from my dream.” His alter ego reminds him, “The only one who’s really judging you / Is yourself, nobody else.” Make the jump, stop caring about what other people think! And jump he did.
‘Lucidity’: Well, directly after jumping into the creative unconscious - into the depths of individuality - he lost his mind. “Lucidity come back to me / Put all five senses back to where they’re meant to be.” This anxiety spawned more self deprecating thoughts about his intrinsic value, and the value of his potential creation; “ I might suck, fizzle or I might just float away.”
‘Why Won’t You Make Up Your Mind?’: This song has so few lyrics I'll put them all here: “Why won’t you make up your mind / give me a sign” The internal conflict continues here with two consistent voices. The argument culminates with the InnerSpeaker threatening him - “You’ll be sorry when I make up my mine instead.” Frustration is breeding between the two, “Am I wasting my time living in my head?”
‘Solitude Is Bliss’: Social pressure is causing significant stress, so much so that Parker needs to get away. “All the kids that I can’t compare to / Making friends like they’re all supposed to … Company’s ok, solitude is bliss” So he recedes into the bushes in order to, “look at my shadow as much as I please” This song continues the theme of a dialogue between two versions of the self. Shadows are quite often meant to depict the Innerspeaker, alter ego, the unconscious. One of my favorite lines from the album is in this song: “there’s a party in my head / and no one is invited” This single line gives a very good summary of the feeling meant to be depicted by the whole album. The urge to create, the perceived outward pressure to conform. “You will never come close to how I feel”
‘Jeremy’s Storm’: Instrumental. There are various ways to interpret the progression of the narrative through non-lyrical analysis, but I will leave that for another time.
‘Expectation’: The emotional toll caused by the breakup referenced in the first song surfaces here. “Cause everything you ever told me could have been a lie / We may never have been in love.” What a powerful line. This shows a man completely torn down, all hope is lost, trust completely shattered; his preconceived expectations for love were destroyed; “fluctuations are aching my soul / expectation is taking its toll.” He had all these ideas for what love would be and they came crashing down; this again pushes him into solitude, the pain caused by a life shaped by Disney love stories make him want to, “escape / i'll never, ever have to see another disappointed face.”
‘The Bold Arrow Of Time’: Interlude. Time goes on. However slowly.
‘Runaway Houses City Clouds’: With significant time having passed, our hero sees how far he’s come. “And don’t remind me of home / Or I might notice where I am.” The only constant is change and, “It’s true that some things have to change”. The album up to now has been depicting the inner dialog when fallen out of love. This song shows movement towards acceptance. He comes to realize expectations are not based in reality and that ‘The Bold Arrow Of Time’ will continue onward. But this movement cares not for how the protagonist feels. Time is indifferent and, “I’m the one who’s left behind.” I can feel the heartache leaking out of the lyrics. And the last line really got me, “But don’t remind me of home / In case it isn’t quite the same.”
‘I Don’t Really Mind’: So how are we supposed to deal with the soul crushing indifference of the aging process? Kevin Parker would say to ignore it. “Childhood puppy is old and gruff / Your mother wants to give him away … But I don’t really mind”
How sad. I tend to think that he indeed does mind, otherwise why construct this album? If you made it this far and thought it was useful, write me a comment and I’ll look at the following albums. And when you’re dancing along with the crowd this Friday night under the stars, spend some time thinking about former lovers, the ever changing nature of reality, the call of the workforce, the pursuit of individuality, and the utter indifference of passing time.
