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Watch Tame Impala Expertly Cover OutKast’s Smoothly Spacey ‘Prototype’

Tame Impala

Tame Impala are masters at taking personal, introspective feelings and blasting them into outer space. The Australian psych-rockers’ decision to cover OutKast’s “Prototype” in a recent performance for their country’s Triple J Radio, then, was an inspired one. From 2003’s Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, the André 3000-sung track is at once romantic and dazed, and it’s built around smoky electric guitar. The Kevin Parker-led crew’s cover lives up to their choice, emulating not just the guitar but also the squelchy bass and, through backing vocalist Nick Allbrook (also of Pond), Three Stacks’ oddball second vocal track. Tame Impala didn’t recognize a spoken-word intro the DJ played them from the song’s music video (below), but that’s definitely not for lack of familiarity with the album version — though, weirdly enough, the video’s interstellar themes make it all the more appropriate for the Lonerism group.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=uqhJfjbNuQg%3Ffeature%3Dplayer_embedded