Album: Tame Impala, Lonerism (Modular)

Tame Impala are the sound of brave new worlds and sunlit uplands, and Lonerism is an album which seems to float four feet above the ground. Melting together the dream-state harmonies of late Beatles/early Plastic Ono Band, the millennial utopianism of the Flaming Lips and the synth textures of Tangerine Dream, the second album from the Perth band combines psychedelic pop and lush electronica more beautifully than anyone since the heyday of that other bunch of outcasts from a godforsaken, rugby-playing hinterland, Super Furry Animals.

You don't need to scratch the golden surface for too long, however, to find the self-doubt that lurks beneath – and which justifies the album's name – with song titles such as "Why Won't They Talk to Me?", "Feels Like We Only Go Backwards" and "She Just Won't Believe Me", and lyrics such as "I just don't know where I belong".

And there, lurking at track nine, is a real rock monster in the shape of "Elephant", a big wobble-bottomed glam boogie reminiscent of the 1970s Dr Who theme, the Rah Band's "The Crunch", Kasabian's "Shoot the Runner", or any number of Goldfrapp tracks. Then, having kicked your arse awake, it drifts back into gorgeous reverie. This one's a beauty.