Ty Segall Band: Slaughterhouse

Ty Segall Band
Slaughterhouse
(In The Red)

Ty Segall is the man. I love this guy. For my money, he’s the best young rock n’ roller out there: loud, snotty, and full of great hooks. I’m really partial to the garage rock scene, though, as it pushes my buttons and generally just gets me psyched—within reason of course. So when I had the opportunity to get his new album with his new band, I was like, “Yeessss!”

Slaughterhouse is definitely a break from his old notions of pop sensibility. Instead, he ventures into a more sprawling-almost-orchestral framework that gives this record a fully-fleshed feel that fortunately functions for the full-throated fury that he’s famous for, so that’s nice. There’s definitely more of a calculated style this time around that adds to the depth of the record and diverges from his traditional approach of just bashing things against the wall and seeing what he ends up with (usually gold!). Songs like “Death” and “Diddy Wah Diddy” are two prime examples, for me, of him veering from his formula and adopting a Doors-esque vibe of creepy self-realization a-la “The End.” Strange turn, but cool nonetheless. And then there’s my favorite song, “Wave Goodbye,” which is a snarling, bluesy number that kicks me in the teeth, which is cool. The album’s closer, “Fuzz War,” wraps things up with ten minutes of static. Could do without that, but, it’s his record.

As I previously stated, I’m a huge fan of Ty and genuinely think his raw talent is something to be appreciated. It’s a nice trashcan to the face of the more sterile indifference of modern indie rock. If you appreciate the rowdy, snot-nosed attitude of days gone by you’ll like this record, for its sheer bombastic mess. I’m gonna go listen to it again.