Ty Segall - Freedom's Goblin

Ty Segall is definitely an artist of immense ambition. Very unusual in that respect in this day and age. he's phenomenally prolific, having been responsible for ten albums at least, (depending on what you count),since his debut in 2008 alongside numerous single and EP releases every few months along the way. His new record, Freedom's Goblin, is something of a crowning glory. A double album, and in many ways a summation of his vision and achievement.

The double album is something of a mixed blessing for the curious listener. A welcome treat for the ready devotee but something of a daunting venture for anyone not already converted to the flock. In any case, I've sufficient interest in and fondness for Segall to listen all the way through in order to sum up my impressions here. So I've been exploring it from various angles over the past few days before presenting my findings to you.

So what do you get? You get the best part of seventy five minutes where the man is given full scope to demonstrate the complete palette he's developed over the years. And boy does he have some strings to his bow! It's difficult to avoid drifting into the realms of the high-falutin Gonzoid prose of early seventies Creem and Rolling Stone critics like Lester Bangs and Richard Meltzer to describe the record's peaks most readily because it enters that arena of the faintly ridiculous in a quite inspired way. It would be interesting to get Julian Cope's opinion on what Segall's up to here!

What he's up to is some of the most inspired rock magpie thievery you're likely to hear this year. Or any other for that matter. One moment, on Rain, plundering the late Beatles fondness for the descending chord sequence to evoke a very specific kind of melancholy. Elsewhere there's, Bowie, Bolan, Roxy and general Glam, Sabbath, funk and generally inspired self-indulgence.

In many respects, Segall's something of a more 'out there' and chemically crazed Beck so this is all not intended to be taken seriously by any means. Sheer enjoyment in the playground of Garage, Glam and Trash Pop Culture seems to be the main objective and also a tilt at the greatest doubles ever released, whether they be The White Album, Electric Ladyland or Sign of the Times. In this respect the record addresses and arrives at its given target sure enough. Songs entitled Fanny Dog, When Mommy Kills You and My Lady's On Fire are sufficient to give you the general idea of where this is heading if you're not overly-familiar with Tygall's back catalogue. The idea behind this seems to suggest that this stuff is tossed aside as something of a mere formality.

The reality of things could not be further away from this intended impression. Freedom's Goblin was a great thing for me to feast upon at the end of a bleak January when I'd been rather starved of sustenance music wise. It's a magnificent record, sure to feature high in end of year lists and in the meantime gratefully received in order to help us make it through to Spring. Oh, and I was delighted to hear yesterday that he'll be heading to play in my neck of the woods in June so truly my cup runs over at the moment!