Over the previous two years Ty Segall’s music has become a bit of an obsession of mine. I know little about the guy really, I have read nothing about him or where he came from but happened to stumble across his album Melted one night in the flat whilst hammering the wine and he’s been with me ever since. All I know for sure is two things; he works stupidly hard, releasing around two albums a year plus various other collaborations and projects. The other that he’s an amazing song writer, everything he touches turns to gold and I’m borderline addicted to his interesting blend of garage rock. I don’t really listen to much other garage rock so I think there is something quite magical about him and even though his work has a distinguishable feel, it’s also varied ranging from quite delicate numbers to fairly heavy jams. True to form, here he is involved with yet another release, this time in psychedelic-minded power chord rock project Fuzz which also features Charles Moonheart.
During the opener ‘Earthen Gates’ we get a catchy retro bit of guitar work before a pretty nasty riff kicks off and the Fuzz start firing. It’s awesome, almost like a Ty Segall covering “Led Zeppelin” or “Sabbath”. Riff heavy classic rock but pushed through Ty’s magical garage machine. It spirals into a highly enjoyable jam and we’re in wonderland.
There are more punk rock areas on Fuzz, ‘Sleigh Ride’ has an aggressive Sex Pistols feel but with talent and real substance, there’s still that classy riff work happening and it’s just brilliant rock music. The song writing is class as always, I have never heard any filler from Ty Segall and this is absolutely no exception, the songs are catchy as hell but presented in such a vibrant psychedelic way and is disturbingly infectious. The hooks and grooves just keep coming, ‘Raise’ is so catchy you might find yourself baffled that nobody has written it before. The album’s finale ‘One’ is off the scale, a psychedelic jam sign off which brings a valiant smile to your face.
Just like everything I’ve heard from Ty Segall, Fuzz are a triumph. Taking Ty’s music but upping the riffs, that’s the ingredients for a wild ride and boy does it come off. I lovely the fuzzy live feel which is nailed down to a fine art and even though the songs are catchy as hell, it has this raw feel which takes this album to the next level. 2013 has been an insane year for music and this is another classic to add to your pile. As I know nothing about Ty, apart from his magnificent songs I decided to Wikipedia him upon finishing this review, he’s 26… how depressing!!
