21st Century Music: Temples
21st Century Music are playlists and profiles that focus on artists that have released their music since 2000. These highlight new(er) acts that continue the sound and spirit of the older acts that are the focus of Ceremony. Click on the streaming service of your choice below to listen to the playlist as you read along.
In 2013, BlackBerry was in trouble since its once dominate position in the smart phone market was being taken down by the iPhone, at that point on its 5th iteration since its launch in 2007, and the Android system since 2008. The Canadian company sought to re-energize its handset success with the launch of the Z10/Q10 series, and it came with the requisite blanketing of the airwaves with a flashy series of ads, of which the TV commercials in North America were set to the psychedelic sounds of “Elephant” by Australian band, Tame Impala. Despite the hoopla over the launch, it ultimately failed to save the fate of BlackBerry in the handset market, but it did a great deal to re-popularize (certainly for me, at least) the popularity of Tame Impala and, more broadly, their modern take on psychedelic music.
I was a huge fan of Tame Impala’s 2012 album, Lonerism, which included “Elephant” along with many other outstanding tracks. However, over the years, I’ve found the band’s following efforts to be less engaging and more of the blander, electro-pop sound that has lacked the edge of that earlier album. Of course, their popularity has surged, such as it goes. However, there have been a multitude of other acts that have come along over the years exploring modern variants of the psychedelic sound, adding prog rock, pop, and shoegaze elements to the mix. Over the past few years, one of the acts that has caught my attention the most, and supplanted Tame Impala as the most consistent and engaging of such acts, has been Temples, a band out of Kettering, England.
Temples (L to R): Bassist Tom Warmsley, keyboardist/guitarist Adam Smith, drummer Sam Toms, and singer/guitarist James Bagshaw
Temples was formed by guitarist/singer James Bagshaw and bassist Tom Warmsley in 2012, who started posting songs on YouTube which got some traction. Signing with London indie label, Heavenly Recordings, they issued a single, “Shelter Song,” in 2012. Not yet having played live, they rounded out the act with keyboardist/guitarist Adam Smith and drummer Sam Toms. They soon after released the singles, “Colours to Life” and “Keep in the Dark,” before going on to release three LPs over the next six years. In 2018, Rens Ottink replaced Toms as the band’s drummer, playing on the third LP, Hot Motion.
The sound of Temples has been fairly consistent, with the second album, Volcano, being the strongest. They employ layers of psychedelic guitar and keyboards, mixing melodies over swirling, repeating, hypnotic rhythms. Their vibe and look are easy to link to the sounds of the late ‘60s British sounds, in which pop styles are mixed with psychedelic tones. They also employ dream pop vocals and shoegaze repeating washes of guitar and synths, and often drop into funky, bluesy riffs that can link them to other current artists such as The Black Keys. Their albums are consistent in quality with rare duds and many moments of catchy, head-nodding fun. The first and third albums were more guitar-driven, while Volcanos leaned more into the synths for a greater pop feel. Their newest single, “Paraphernalia,” released this past September, was an interesting shift into a decidedly disco beat.
Unlike Tame Impala, the band has struggled to gain widespread attention despite the quality of their music. All three LPs have charted in their native UK, with their debut reaching the top ten, though in today’s varied music world – both in musical niches and with charts’ struggle to balance the death of sales and the rise of streaming - that’s a meaningless indicator. Since they came to my awareness after Volcanos, I’ve noticed their songs consistently grab my attention when they come up in my randomized playlists. Like one of my other favourite acts, The Horrors, they have a wonderful mix of the old with the new, presented in crafty combinations of pop and expansive compositions. Along with other acts like Claypool Lennon Delirium, Wolfmother, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, and King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, they are part of a neo-psychedelic movement of the past ten years from the far-flung poles of the UK and Australia.
Temples new line-up, with Rens Ottink (far left) now on drums, joining Smith, Bagshaw, and Warmsley.
Temples came to Toronto just before the pandemic shut everything down, and I regret having missed the show. I’ll be sure not to make that mistake when and if that chance comes around again.
The Playlist - song \ album (year)
Shelter Song \ non-album single (2012)
Colours to Life \ non-album single (2013)
Keep in the Dark \ non-album single (2013)
Sun Structures \ Sun Structures (2014)
The Golden Throne \ Sun Structures (2014)
Move with the Season \ Sun Structures (2014)
The Guesser \ Sun Structures (2014)
Certainty \ Volcano (2017)
Oh the Saviour \ Volcano (2017)
Born into the Sunset \ Volcano (2017)
How Would You Like to Go? \ Volcano (2017)
Roman Godlike Man \ Volcano (2017)
Hot Motion \ Hot Motion (2019)
You’re Either on Something \ Hot Motion (2019)
Not Quite the Same \ Hot Motion (2019)
Atomise \ Hot Motion (2019)
Monuments \ Hot Motion (2019)
Paraphernalia \ non-album single (2020)
