After years of establishing his own fuzz-rock reverb, it’s safe to say that lo-fi garage-rock king Ty Segall cleans up nicely.
His seventh solo release double-album “Manipulator”dropped on Aug. 26, introducing Segall fans to an unfamiliar never before featured element in his music, clarity.
Whether it was the result of allotting more recording time for this album than any of his previous solo records, or a premeditated part of the grand master plan,the final compilation works.
He kicked off his current tour at the 11th annual FYF Festival accompanied by fellow musician and long-time friend Mikal Cronin on bass, Charlie Moothart on guitar, and Emily Rose Epstein on drums.
The album’s title track encourages listeners to “step right up”as a playful carnival organ bounces into the first song.
The listener is greeted by the teasing of a psychedelic guitar riff, seemingly designed to lure the listener deeper into the slowly unfolding layers of “Manipulator”.
Segall hypnotizes his audience, repeating the mantra “My manipulator / My manipulator”as it cascades from the melody into the rhythm.
“Tall Man, Skinny Lady” immediately snaps the listener out of their first-track daze and puts them into a different groove with Segall revisiting an early ‘70s boogie rock.
“The Singer”follows with a dash of flower-child folk and hints of his trademark ‘60s guitar tone revivalism for good measure.
Four years prior, Segall gave tribute to the great brit-glam rockers T. Rex with a record day EP release exclusively featuring cover songs titled “Ty Rex”and followed up with a second visit with “Ty Rex 2.” released in 2013.
It’s becomes evident that these efforts weren’t enough to rid his “Bolan Blues”.
“The Faker”and “Green Belly”drip with T. Rex’s influence.
The electric warriors have already casted their Jurassic shadow on iconic artists like Oasis, the Smiths, The Who and The Ramones. Segall has eagerly joined that list.
These tracks marry well-constructed pop structure with gritty, driving licks and steady percussion. The relaxed yet dynamic male vocals are complemented with bass to add an element of funk.
Not to fear, “Manipulator”saves enough old-age Stooges proto-punk and new age noise-rock synonymous with The Hives and The White Stripes to go around as heard on “The Crawler”and “It’s Over”.
“The Connection Man”channels thrashy instrumentals, which echo similarities to bands like Sonic Youth and Pavement circa 1990’s. Lyrics like “To see the places / Our lovely faces / Into the pieces / To read you,”keep a vague ambiguity, leaving verses up for interpretation.
Unlike the undisciplined majority of his previous works, Segall maintains vocal control throughout the entirety of the track while the wall of sound rages onward without him.
“Manipulator”is a well thought out, self-made promise land that dissects Segall’s divergent catalogue of sonic signatures, rediscovering them at full potential.
Dedicated fans will not only get to enjoy 17 new tracks, but can also ditch any doubt of Segall abandoning his garage-rock roots.
