Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Ty Segall : Emotional Mugger


A collective “where does he find the time” is gasped it seems every time a Ty Segall record comes out. ‘Emotional Mugger’ clocks in at his 10th solo record so we should be used to it by now, right?  But let’s face it this kind of output in 8 years alongside various other projects is astounding.  ‘Emotional Mugger’ shifts things yet again into a new domain by manipulating homemade recordings and reshapping the glam in rock'n' roll.   

American detritus, love, soup, diversions, candy and late night drives all appear in Segall's lyrics - delivered in a voice with two personalities; the high and softly spoken type versus the low growls emanating from a different beast entirely.  You can expect the psychedelic, blown out guitars that Segall is known for handling so brilliantly, solos that will take you to another dimension and delicious pop hooks.  Whistling and handclaps makes ‘Emotional Mugger’ especially tangible, stand out track for me 'W.U.O.T.W.S', collaging fractured recordings into a motley mesh of details morphed together - driving the experimentation aspect of this album to the brink.   The rate at which Segall is breaking new ground is enough to make anyone’s head spin, and it’s no wonder there’s so much buzz around the album coming out this Friday through Drag City.   Ty Segall filters through the currents of sludge and electrified glitter to tease out new ideas on every release and ‘Emotional Mugger’ is no exception.  It’s streaming right now on NPR if you're interested in a taster...