TY SEGALL plays the Garrison tonight (Thursday, June 16), midnight, See Garrison listing and hits Wrongbar Friday (June 17), 1 am, See Wrongbar listing as part of NXNE. Rating: NNN
San Francisco psych rocker Ty Segall warned us that he’d be dialling back the garage rock aggression on Goodbye Bread, and sure enough, the album features some of his slowest and most melodic songs yet. There are still be plenty of sputtering fuzz-drenched leads, but overall, it’s more an album for the bedroom than the mosh pit, which may disappoint as many fans as it pleases.
Even though the record is under 40 minutes long, it starts to drag halfway through. The sloppy lo-fi feel suits him perfectly when he’s tearing through uptempo rave-ups, but when applied to an entire album of downtempo dirges, it can be a bit gruelling.
Despite the flaws, you can’t deny that he’s got real talent, which would be wasted if he just stuck to the psych/garage throwback formula. In fact, it’s when he reaches further into unexpected shiny glam rock territory that he’s most successful. Is it possible that the lovable trashy quality that first garnered him so much attention will turn out to be a smokescreen hiding a traditional pop genius?
Top track: Goodbye Bread
