Ty Segall
Melted
After building a reputation as a one-man band (of the Sonic Youth-y Mary Poppins dude variety) and delivering some tracks that irritated and fascinated in equal measure, 2010 saw Ty Segall deliver his best album to date. (Okay, he's only got the one other album.) Melted is a garage sounding take on psych, the only rock sound that's currently doing anything interesting (outside of metal), and it's a succinct piece of work, clocking out right around the half-hour mark. That leaves little room for the extensive noodling that possesses so many of Segall's contemporaries, and while that shouldn't be construed as either praise or criticism, it does give the album a firm footing outside of the Allman Brothers sensations that can hang atop those who can't stop fucking with the same riff until they've crossed the double digit mark. But for all the fuzz, Melted keeps hazily leaning back towards pop sound. Don't get it twisted--none of Melted's songs are likely to help Jim from the Office sell pick-up trucks anytime soon, even the one that sounds like Segall dug up on a seven year old Strokes demo--but this isn't an album primarily geared towards the sitting around and staring at posters set. There's too much concern here with social engagement, and there's too much of a tempo for a background wallpapering. Even when the lyrics devolve into thoughtless repetitions of advertising taglines, the drumming bangs in, the jangling guitars drive ahead, and the sound--whatever we end up calling it--shits its brains all over yours. This is messy music, of the best kind, and if it brings with it a bit of noisy fun, so much the better. Speakers are meant to be blown.
-Tucker Stone, 2010
Never heard of 'im, but I'm a fuzz addict, so thanks!
Posted by: Judahthor | 2010.12.16 at 11:08