Ty Segall – Ty Segall

The guru of garage rock is back with a new album so killer, and so central to his artistic agenda, that it merits the eponymous distinction. Behold: Ty Segall. I’m guessing it doesn’t help to describe it as a “high octane shredfest,” since those terms pretty much apply to any Segall record. So what kind of shredfest is Ty Segall exactly?

By the sound of it, the pendulum has swung from the arch, spastic shock of his last record, Emotional Mugger (reflected in the disturbing baby mask Segall wore on stage for the corresponding tour), back to the feel-good grand funk of the prior Manipulator, now developed with greater nuance and further shades of rock hedonism. Acoustically-driven melodies like “Orange Color Queen” project the Marc Bolan pied piper vibe that Segall channels so well, beckoning the listener to shed their clothing and listen to my song, sweet child.

Meanwhile the album’s many rockers, such as “Break a Guitar”, kick out the jams with the gleeful, ferocious twin axe attack and unforgiving rhythm section that Segall has built his legend upon. In a change of pattern, Segall recorded the new album with a full band in the studio, assembling musicians who communicate the frenzy of his live show but adhere to the discipline that Segall has sharpened over a dozen full-lengths, EPs and split albums. As illustrated by “Warm Hands (Freedom Returned)” — a 10+ minute song that organically shifts through different tempos and dynamics fluidly, without recourse to prog-rock contrivance or gratuitous excess — Ty Segall is no garage freak-out. The man has upped his game yet again.

Ty Segall comes out today on Drag City Records.

TY SEGALL ON TOUR:
Fri. Jan. 27 – San Diego, CA @ Belly Up Tavern
Thu. Feb. 2 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
Fri. Feb. 3 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
Sat. Feb. 4 — Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
Mon. Feb. 27 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
Wed. March 1 – Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theater
Thu. March 2 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos
Fri. March 3 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos
Wed. May 10 – Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom
Thu. May 11 – Indianapolis, IN @ Irving Theater
Sat. May 13 — Chicago, IL @ Metro
Sun. May 14 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
Wed. May 17 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
Thu. May 18 — Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
Sat. May 20 – Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero Theater
Sun. May 21 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Small’s Theater
Mon. May 22 – Louisville, KY @ Headliner’s Music Hall
Thu. May 25 – Nashville, TN @ Mercy Lounge
Fri. May 26 — New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jack’s
Sat. May 27 – Austin, TX @ Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheatre