Ty Segall ‘Ty Segall’

Words by Russell Carstens

Ty Segall is a prismatic punch to the senses: On display within the album’s first three tracks are fuzzy Black Sabbath amplifier worship, McCartney II-meets-Devo jerkiness, and ambitious medley-suites. Segall wears a Beatles influence on his sleeve not only in the record’s White Album-esque track-by-track variety, but applying its freewheeling approach within songs themselves. On “Warm Hands (Freedom Returned),” “Wild Honey Pie” intersects with “Helter Skelter” before molten guitars solos wreak an aural apocalypse.

Segall takes listeners to earthlier (yet just as fun) places, too. “Talkin’” settles down on a country front porch with rocking chairs, moonshine, and a rootsy Workingman’s Dead vibe, content to relax on the sidelines and watch life pass by. “Thank You Mr. K” is a hot-rodded soap box derby anthem—think Motorhead for kids. “Orange Color Queen” channels Elliot Smith, and “Take Care (To Comb Your Hair)” personifies the relief of the first cool morning of autumn after a hot summer.

Segall is an artist who understands that when at its best, music transcends the everyday/mundane. This record is crammed with one impressive moment after another, lifting you into another zone, where psych-painted school buses journey into swirling landscapes . . . then pulverize passengers in unexpected demolition derby showdowns.