First Taste - Ty Segall: Review
is an American rock artist who has been pushing the boundaries of modern rock and indie music for over a decade now by dabbling in psychedelic rock, garage rock and punk. He has released a myriad of records as a solo artist and in a number of short lived collaborative groups that consistently push for new sounds and have been lobbied with plenty of critical acclaim.
Review By Lavender:
Due to the absolutely massive amount of releases Ty has under his belt it is difficult to encapsulate him with one style or even one quality of release. The most comparable artist to Ty Segall is definitely King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard as not only do their styles have a ton of crossover but they have both released a ton of material that covers a wide range of genres, and not always perfectly. While I have really not been head over heels in love with a Ty Segall album since 2014's Manipulator the last one I even took the time to review was last years Freedom's Goblin a solid but bloated record. Given the variance in Ty's album quality and consistency but the high ceiling he can achieve I am always dropping in to give his releases a listen and after a few promising and interesting singles I decided to give this record a serious try, and I'm glad I did.
This album is far from the most experimental I've ever heard form Ty Segall, he spends most of his time on the record dropping songs full of blistering distorted guitars and quintessential punk riffs that drive short and stylistic tunes that never really try too hard on the lyrics. This was forecasted by two of the songs singles and I still enjoy them both quite a bit. Taste serves as the records opener with huge layers of distortion with a surprisingly sweet and catchy vocal melody. The track is a psychedelic experience that manages to work in some drum solos that set up for an energetic rush back to the songs main hook for a fulfilling three minutes. Radio was the other single here that totally fits in and it is fittingly the most radio friendly of the bunch. Like much of the record it has a great guitar riff that is sticky as hell and the mixing here is also great and makes Ty's distant shouted singing sound so passionate.
The third single was a different but also interesting track Ice Plant that takes a long time to build up momentum but delivers positively when it ultimately lands. It has a great refrain with the "Let Your Love Rain Down On Me" and serves as a pretty unique change of pace for the first half of the record. The Fall is a nonstop assault of instrumentation as one of the faster and more jamming moments of the album. The 70s throwback aesthetic on that track is also applied to the When I Met My Parents Pt. 1 and Pt.3, as well as the song that those two shorter songs flank I Sing Them. It's a southern rock inspired tune with plucked guitar strings that I like and some blissful background vocals, the song itself is just a really well written tune especially in the second half.
The albums ends off with two excellent tracks right at the end to help transition it out. Self Esteem is a surprise that sounds straight out of King Gizzard's Nonagon Infinity. It comes out of nowhere to be one of the best songs here and with more blistering speed and unrelenting instrumentation it never really gives you the chance to stop and breathe. Ty matches this energy with a zany vocal performance that follows the songs very strange progression. The closing track Lone Cowboy is a long and indulgent but rewarding dive into the virtues of cowboying. It's got super catchy vocal refrains and interesting instrumentation throughout and fits in with the record, serving as a great closer.
I Worship The Dog is a really strange and insane track with a weird and warped energy that makes it stand out even among the other wild tracks here. It has a wild and cool progression and Ty's reverb heavy shouted vocals are some of my favorite on this record especially as they flutter over the already explosive instrumental. The song is a wild experiment that re-contextualizes a lot of the rock music I've called genre pushing this year.
While most of the songs on First Taste aren't perfect all of them, except two have at least something worthwhile to explore. Whatever is sandwhiched between tracks that are just so much more interesting and engaging than it is with far less catchy vocals and something in the mix, either distortion coming off the guitars or some distant synths that make this awful farty squealing sound throughout the entire song that serves as the nail in its coffin. The other underwhelming song was The Arms a hugely Beatles inspired tune with some more acoustic elements with toned down guitars in the background I'm just not in love with any parts of the track and I don't really see any reason for it to make the cut here.
First Taste is among the better half of Ty Segall albums and one of the better I've heard in the past two years but in the grander scheme of things I can't really see any more than two or three of these songs really standing out. Despite showing a lot of creativity this record and the tracks on it tend to blend together and as a complete listen the highlights don't exactly show themselves off. Thankfully though widdling it down to the gems makes it easy to see that there is a lot here worthwhile and worth visiting too, and worth looking forward to what Ty does next. 7/10
