Temples - Sun Structures ALBUM REVIEW

While Temples' shows a sincere appreciation for psychedelic pop on their debut album, the band does very little to deliver novel ideas or exciting performances.

What did you think of this album? Love it? Hate it? Why? What should I review next, eh?

FAV TRACKS: SUN STRUCTURES, MESMERISE

LEAST FAV TRACK: SAND DANCE

TEMPLES - SUN STRUCTURES / FAT POSSUM / 2014 / NEO-PSYCHEDELIA, PSYCH POP, PSYCH ROCK

5/10

Y'all know this is just my opinion, right?

SHOUTOUTS!
MIKE RUGNETTA

[jakefields]

This album is so underrated. Pitchfork also gave it a lower review (5.5) for what I expected as well. Sun Structures is a harder album to get into quickly, but is very unappreciated for what it is. Although fans of Tame Impala like this album, like myself, they sound nothing alike. This album is at least a 7 or 8 in my opinion.

[kylehartman]

I call bullshit on Fantano. You know what I find unoriginal? Every punk rock, hip-hop, and indie record in the last five years. I hate when people say something has a retro sound and use it as an excuse to discredit a record.
Sure on "Move with the Season" Temples definitely channels the Zombies but if it were a Zombies track it would be a fucking gem. The thing about Temples is they are killer songwriters. Is it pop? Yes but since when did that become a bad thing. Pop can be fucking transcendent.

Temples makes me feel like I'm exploring ancient ruins and uncovering secret cults performing magic rituals. Classic osych albums are great, don't get me wrong. But if Temples had released this album back then, it would have have blown people away more than half of those records. Revolver is a great album don't get me wrong but it's not the be all end all.

Fantano is stuck in the punk rock worship that has ruined music since the late 90s. And giving this album a 5 is an insult. This is going to be a classic long after Death Grips (talk about gimmicks) is forgotten.

While definitely more retro than Tame, MGMT, Morgan Delt, or UMO. Temples still deserves to stand with the best of the Neo-Psych revolution that is slowly sweeping away butt rock, corporate owned hip-hop (for white people, indie yuppie npr sleep rock (it's so sensitive), and the corpse of punk rock that hangs like a noxious cloud over music.

I'm excited for where Temples is gonna take us. This is their FIRST fucking album and it's amazing. How many bands can say that?

[miyavizim]

The flaw to all these is that you're comparing it to Tame Impala and tries to draw too many parallels between the 2. Tame Impala doesn't even sound anything like Temples.

[hippiecheezburger]

Anthony is crazy with this one, I know what he means completely but sun structures is a perfect well executed debut album in the style they are doing, we need more albums to really define their sound, Innerspeaker from tame impala was the same way, people act like it sounds to 60's but styles are styles that can be made at any point in time

[craisefintonkirk]

The Beatles are my favourite band ('Revolver' and 'Sgt. Pepper' are my favourite albums by The Beatles) but for me, this Temples record is absolutely brilliant! It took me about a month to get into it - when I first heard the album, I felt just like Anthony Fantano; the album just seemed like a load of indie/psychedelic noise, but after about 2 months (once I got to know the songs a bit better) I began to really appreciate this album. It's easy to compare an album to the likes of 'Revolver', 'Pet Sounds' etc. and say that it doesn't quite measure up to those albums but I think that's a little bit unfair as those albums can never be challenged, after all you can't exactly "un-inspire" all the millions upon millions of people who heard 'Revolver' or 'Pet Sounds' or 'Odyssey and Oracle' or "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan" etc. who then went on to form bands and create original and inspiring music of their own.

[dissonancecognitive]

all the stuff that Temples/Jagwar Ma/Tame Impala is exploring is pretty well trodden territory. However, it's pretty refreshing in the sense that we haven't really heard that style for a while 

[muzaknerd]

I am surprised he hasn't reviewed the Growlers 

[ballisticmario]

I respectfully disagree, but I definitely see where you're coming from. Good review :D

[general]

This was one of most backwards reviews I went into. I've been listening to this album for a week and it's one of my top 25 albums. Anthony give this one more reflection please.

[jamesfarmer]

Hope there's a St.Vincent review coming. 

[Acquiex]

Fair enough. Their influences are incredibly evident and they don't do much to create their own personality, however, I personally would've given them around 6 or 7 for the same positives you mentioned.
A good debut but what's really going to be important for them is their sophomore album. I'm going to need something far more dynamic to keep my interest such as Lonerism... nothing like Babel. Huehuehue..

[UpFromTheSkiess]

It's lazy and unoriginal to dismiss an album for sounding similar to albums that came before it. Almost everything has been done before, and if you listen to enough music, which I imagine you have, you know that very well.

[Neurozumim]

The band doesn't bring new ideas in the sense that psychedelic-ism was about exploring sound territories. But.... The songs are just fucking great. This exercise in nostalgia mixes the sounds of a few larger-than-life bands from the 1960's, to a degree where we can get an hint of how they would've sounded like if they collaborated. It feels sometimes ackward to swim into such unapologetic retroness, but I can't help thinking the music here, especially the aspect of melody, is much stronger than almost anything else I've heard in 2014. The fact that a lot of bits are "borrowed" will hold me from naming it "record of the year", but it's in the top 5 for sure, and I think they beat Tame Impala in the singalong department (how easy it is to remember their songs). To be honest, a lot of what was said in this review I agreed at first. I never expected I would come back to this album so much. I'm not a baby boomer, I'm not in the 60's rock that much, and when I first heard this band I thought "oh no... Not yet another 60's tribute australian band? (they're not, in fact, from Australia)). But what cut it for me was the songs themselves, out of any prejudice about trends and not "outdoing" the originals, etc. To me it sounds actually like a lost record from the era that we have a chance to rediscover today. A lost record which is a compilation of famous band collaborations. something like that.  

[musicworthbuying]

Wow! ....Of course I liked this album a lot more than you LOL. I thought this was a fine first effort from a new band. Though I admit, you criticism is definitely somehting the band will need consider in the future in that they can't just rest on the laurels of this first album and will need to expand and push their boundaries a bit more on future releases...but for now I found this to be a really enjoyable first effort.  Love catching up with your reviews Anthony - Take care - TJR

[christiangisborne]

!!! No offense to tame impala, but Kevin Parker got lame as time has gone on. These dudes are way more 60’s, rock n roll, and BETTER. And also, do you know how many people have done 60’s throwback stuff - tame impala didn’t invent anything.

[bigideas]

Haven't got the chance to listen to it, but a lot of reviews sound like how I feel about Foxygen. Surprised that you've never reviewed Clinic. As far as recent psych, there was last year's Jacco Gardner, too.

[TemporaryFamineShip]

This album is incredibly beautiful. Experience it on vinyl, people!

[izzysmall]

I love this album it is one of my favorites for this year, and I agree with what you are saying. However when you see temples live, as I did, there is the most incredible vibes given off by everyone in the room, I felt high. And the music complements that feeling so well it is just indescribable. Everyone was mosh pitting and dancing, smoke everywhere, there was sweat condensed on the ceiling it was so hot. I have never been to a concert quite as good as this, even after seeing the band peace when they performed their album in love. It could not compare to the insane performance of temples.

[metaitachi]

As someone who doesn't really listen to much older music (ie. anything before the 90s) simply because I've always just been busy looking for newer bands, I really enjoyed this album and sound. I know it's heresy, but I haven't listened to much Pink Floyd (except for the big singles) or the Beatles, but I definitely enjoyed that sound and methinks i have to do some basic research in the future.

[qwer]

listened once on spotify to the album i enjoyed i was not expecting too much but as debuts goes it is good i hope this band can develop there own style and sound over time i give it a light 7