The Days of Lore

Ty Segall blows up your garage

Friday, July 2nd, 2010 | musiX | No Comments

I’m not sure what it is about Ty Segall that separates him from the rest of the garage dwellers …  well, maybe I do. It’s simple, you see—as with The Strange Boys and Jay Reatard, Segall sounds like he spends more time on songs than simply trying to look/sound like he comes to us from the year 1968. Plus, he’s not obnoxious like the Black Lips.

But let’s be honest: Ty Segall plays rock ‘n’ roll, plain and simple … although I know it sounds a lot sexier when something’s classified as “garage rock.” It causes a certain segment of aging, yet incredibly hip record bin rummagers’ ears (among other things) to perk up when a new lo-fi garage album comes out (wait, did I just out myself?). The former one-man band’s latest LP Melted is one of this year’s best rock records. So good, in fact, that according to some blogs Segall’s become the de facto leader of the San Francisco garage scene … or something.

Melted—Segall’s second full-length for Goner Records—is cleaner than previous efforts, but still full of bouncy energy (”Girlfriend” and “Imaginary Person” are punchy punches to the face). All I know is that it hits all of my pleasure centers—juicy, blown-out guitars, nasty hooks, hand claps (!), not to mention there are plenty of weird arrangements and even weirder, spacier sounds tossed about. This is rock ‘n’ roll! This is what it’s all about! And if that’s not enough, Segall’s into KISS … way into KISS—like every good rock band should be.

“Girlfriend” - Ty Segall

“Caesar” - Ty Segall

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Tags: garage rock, Goner Records, Jay Reatard, Melted, The Strange Boys, Ty Segall