Ambitious wunderkind, Ty Segall may very well be one of the hardest working musicians out there today. With his multiple side projects, fronting a brand new band (the Ty Segall Band who debuted their LP back in February) and his solo work (on which he plays all the instruments and sings) he could be forgiven for releasing a bad album or two. With the sheer colossal output he produces yearly (three new albums including his solo album this year alone) it can be hard to ensure good music quality. But Segall doesn’t cut corners here and manages to deliver another slice of raw, fuzzy, garage rock love.
He has come a long way since recording his debut, “Horn The Unicorn” in 2008 in what was basically a basement studio with a tape recorder. The sound quality on “Twins” is simply superb and in leaps and bounds beyond his early days of distorted wailing over a frantic pounding guitar. While the album still retains the garage rock influences and guitar distortion that typifies most of his work, “Twins” shows Segall experimenting with a wider range of sound inspirations and instrumentations.
Album opener, “Thank God For The Sinners,” displays a heavy stoner metal influence with some “bluesy” guitar thrown in for good measure. “The Hill” opens up with surreal chanting before launching into a distorted, Beatles-esque riff that carries the song. “Handglams” is a grungy rocker with layered glam rock vocal harmonies.
Segall doesn’t sound like he’ll be deserting his love for the fuzzy guitar sound anytime soon. But unlike so many of his contemporaries who have simply decided to mask their lack of talent by using low-fi sound productions and guitar distortion, Segall continues to push his creative boundaries. He blends in-your-face garage rock shredding, with heavy metal distortion, blue guitar licks, and a touch of psychedelic to make for a rewarding listen.
“Twins” is a strong offering. Segall delivers the howling garage rock fury you’ve come to expect from Ty Segall while still evolving forward. But on the off chance you don’t like it, odds are pretty good he’ll have another album for you under another project name in a few weeks anyway.
