School breaks are on the horizon, but there is more to review on Split Record Review! Garage rock guru Ty Segall has been prominent in the music scene for roughly 15 years, yet 2010’s “Melted” has stood the test of time. His discography is massive and ever-expanding, with two albums released just this year, “Three Bells” and “Love Rudiments.” Despite its age, “Melted” is fairly representative of his style and contains some of his most popular songs. Given past appreciation of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard in this column, will Henry and James feel equally about Ty Segall?
Henry’s Review:
In the vast landscape of the independent rock world, few subgenres have garnered as fervent of a cult following as the neo-psychedelic movement. Emerging mainly from the United States and Australia, bands have reverted to sounds and ideas explored in the 1960s, but with the cutting edge of the modern age. While Cream, Jimi Hendrix and The Doors are all huge influences on these bands, their sound also comes from experimental acts of the day like Soft Machine or Ultimate Spinach.
In Australia, artists like King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard and Tame Impala have used the classic psychedelic sound to achieve a new, ethereal aesthetic that has proved to be massively successful, with Tame Impala specifically becoming a massively successful musician. Meanwhile, the United States’ flavor of psych rock has a harder edge, influenced by garage rock titans like the Thee Oh Sees and The White Stripes.
Emerging from California, Ty Segall has risen to become a front-runner in the psych rock movement. Active since 2008, Segall has seen sizeable popularity as both a solo artist and as drummer for the stoner rock collective Fuzz.
Segall befriended Thee Oh Sees’ frontman John Dwyer in the late 2000s, who gave the young musician a record deal on his label, Castle Face. Segall’s self-titled debut has all the hallmarks of the psych movement at the time, blown out guitars and wild vocals drenched in reverb with dirt cheap production.
Segall’s third effort, “Melted,” solidified his sound as a strong hook writer and competent multi-instrumentalist. Containing multiple songs that would become staples at his live shows, “Melted” was Segall’s breakthrough. In particular, the opener “Finger” is sure to melt any audience member’s face off with its sluggish buzzsaw guitar riffs and sloppy drum work.
“Caesar” is one of the more accessible cuts off the record, driven by acoustic guitars and Segall’s vocals. The chorus accentuates Segall’s strong suit on this album, his hook writing ability. I can only imagine how many early 2000s skateboarding videos had “Girlfriend” blasting in the background; it’s a perfect microcosm of the era’s sound.
The title track, “Melted,” is one of the heaviest cuts. Segall’s voice is distorted and echoes over repetitious fuzzed-out guitars. The track almost serves as a premonition to what Segall would do with his group Fuzz, showcasing his love for the heavier side of the garage rock sound.
“Imaginary Person” is another highlight for me and is the track that stuck most in my head after listening to the album. The electric organ that appears in the back half of the track is ear candy, and the doo-wop inspired chord progression is infinitely infectious.
“Bees” has flavors of older lo-fi acts like Guided by Voices or Cleaners from Venus within it. Segall’s voice sounds particularly reminiscent of Guided by Voices’ Robert Pollard, and the jangly guitar tone over the rumbling bass makes me think that was the intention.
The album’s closer, “Alone,” is another highlight. Being the longest cut at just under four minutes, it’s close and intimate in comparison to the rest of the album. The first two-thirds are very sparse, with just guitar, bass and drums. The latter third sees the instrumental speed up and Segall croon over the increasingly wild backing.
While the album is quite short, at just over 30 minutes in length, it can quickly lose my interest after the first half. It’s great music to have in the background, but it pales into comparison to what Dwyer was doing with his multitude of bands at the time. A lot of the sounds and song structures are repeated throughout the record’s runtime.
Segall has many strengths exhibited on this album; his riff writing is on point, crafting danceable grooves that would kill in a live setting. However, the medium of this genre has so much room to go further. While Segall would get more experimental with his tried-and-true sound later in his career, “Melted” takes baby steps.
Rating: 3.5/5
James’ Review:
I have quite the knack for albums with grotesque figures on their covers lately, but for what can be considered Segall’s breakout record, “Melted” is an admirable feat. It would set the stage for the forward-thinking yet nostalgia-heavy discography he and his crew have cultivated today. Just as this album started Segall’s career off with a bang, “Melted” begins with a lot of promise.
“Finger” is a strong microcosm of Segall’s grungy and lo-fi variety of rock, with relentless drumming and despondent vocals. At the very least, it’s a good tone-setter to get the listener excited for the half-hour ahead of them. “Caesar” begins upbeat enough with acoustic guitar, though Segall’s vocals are unsettling in this context until the “Why must the people cry for me” refrain. John Dwyer, figurehead of rock band Osees as they’re now called, plays the out-of-place flute at the end of the song, which isn’t surprising given his frequent experimentation with Osees and Coachwhips.
“Girlfriend” is a fever dream with claustrophobic instrumentation and a pretty generic rhythm. On this record, lyrics aren’t Segall’s strong suit, and even if it’s not the focus or if he’s playing a character in this song, “I got a girlfriend / She said she loves me” is too shallow for my liking. Segall’s emotive vocals on “Sad Fuzz” portray him as the sad one despite the chorus of “Please don’t be sad, my baby, no.” Notably, the isolated drum breaks leading into the chorus and the killer outro culminate into a standout track.
The intense guitar feedback in the first moments of the title track has hurt its replay value for me in the past, yet once you get past that, the rhythm is crushing, and once again, the drums go hard. It also doesn’t overstay its welcome which I wish it did if it meant replacing the following track, “Mike D’s Coke.” It features fellow rocker Mike Donovan repeating “Drink Coca-Cola.” While I love the soft drink and the act of an artist essentially giving a song on their album to someone else — looking at you, Ye — this sore thumb of a song is a complete miss and a mess. Next!
“Imaginary Person” is more forgivable once the 30-second intro is over. The track is almost akin to surf rock and sees the speaker at their wit’s end, losing sleep from an imaginary person they think is real. You could also pass off “My Sunshine” as a 1970s tune to unsuspecting people and they’d believe you. I would’ve enjoyed a more unique second verse since this could’ve been the most lyrically dense track otherwise, but this is still a highlight. I’ll also hazard that “Bees” could pass as a ‘60s track with its vocal mixing and song structure that is quite reminiscent of the era, along with the “La, la” outro that seems to be on every album I review recently.
“Mrs.,” a dark tune themed around murder, is one of my favorite tracks on here. I’ve always assumed the title was personifying the Mississippi River in some way since the state’s name begins by sounding like “Mrs.,” but it’s most likely used to refer to the speaker’s dead wife. I enjoy how much time Segall spends on the final words of some lines, including “way” and “stay,” while the instrumental section toward the end of the song elevates it to a new level.
A comparison to King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard may sound out of whack at first, but bear with me. One of my favorite elements of the Gizzard’s “Nonagon Infinity” is its reliance on segueing one song into another to essentially make one massive movement. On “Melted,” the songs may share styles, though the album as a whole feels disconnected. “Alone” serves as a decent closer yet its lyrical sentiments of “We’ll be all alone” and “We are alone” read more as a cliffhanger.
“Melted” was praised by critics and still is cherished by fans, though it’s more a record that incites enjoyment from the listener rather than giving signs of an artistic genius. It takes a hell of a lot of talent to release over an album a year across one’s career, and it’s equally impressive to maintain consistency across that span. Needless to say, this record isn’t anything groundbreaking but will linger in the back of my mind as I continue to explore the music of Ty Segall.
Rating: 3/5