Day 40: Ty Segall - Twins
Ty Segall is twenty nine years old and has released eight albums within the span of eight years. Tonight, I listened to his fifth studio album, Twins, as recommended by Mycul.
But before we get to my reaction to his tunes, let me just reiterate....eight albums in eight years. Now THAT is some heavy lifting. I’d love to pick his brain. See how he is able to write so much. Does he feel pressured to continue releasing content at such a speed? What steps does he take to ensure a level of consistency in quality with each subsequent album? Does he have a formula or does he reject formulas as a creative decision?
I’m not much of a formulaic person. My only real goal, ever since I began thinking about releasing a sophomore album in 2011, was to try my best to up the ante each time. I wanted to have a marked progression in recording quality, use of instrumentation, vocal delivery, lyric depth, and the list goes on.
All this talk is making me want to convene some kind of songwriter workshop so I can pick the brains of individuals whose music I respect. I think everyone has a different approach to songwriting. If you always stick to the same approach, might your sound run the risk of growing stale? I’d love to try new approaches as suggested by my colleagues to see what kind of variations take place.
Ty Segall is one of the best things I’ve heard in a long time. His songs have a sort of throwback psychedelic tenor to them - with the rowdy and energetic vocal delivery, fuzzed out guitars, and all sorts of sonic textures and effects needed to slow down the brainwaves. Think Woodstock.
There’s also, obviously, plenty of modernity to his sound as well. It’s as though he is able to combine 60s psychedelic rock with indie rock, while adding hints of punk rock and party rock as well. The contemporary band closest in sound that comes to mind is a group called Fidlar. Most of the songs from their albums deal with being drunken pieces of shit. Unfortunately, it was difficult to make out the majority of Segall’s lyrics so I’m not certain of his lyrical content. Anyway, Fidlar has been one of my favorite musical discoveries this year, so Ty Segall’s tunes were more than welcome.
They’re trippy as hell, too, which is nice for a 1:00 AM half-awake writing session. The female vocal intro to The Hill, the sultry yet angry guitar solo on Ghost, the cool, haunting vocal effects on Love Fuzz, and the general fun that is Who Are You make up some of my favorite highlights from Twins.
What a dope album. I can’t waiting to explore his work more.
Alrighty, reader. Another day, another album done! I’m pretty glad I’ve stuck it out this far. I’m feeling motivated to keep going. Your involvement in my creative process certainly helps.
Til tomorrow,
Emily
