Ty Segall and White Fence - Hair Review

Last year, I fell pretty hard for Ty Segall's Goodbye Bread, a record that felt timeless and effortless. While mired in classic rock, it shuffled to its own ragged beat. Listening to Hair, I'm afraid Segall might be a one trick pony because while the songs here are strong, the influences weigh heavier on this outing. I love my nuggets era garage rock as much as the next guy but Hair seem slavishly devoted to recreating the sound without adding anything new. I mean, they have a song called Easy Ryder - c'mon boys, try a little harder.

Actually, my statement about loving garage rock is a slight lie: I must say I respect garage rock more than I love it and my fellow record nerds who bang on about the Seeds, the Sonics and 13th Floor Elevators are usually met either disdain or dismissal (seriously, you sound like a broken fucking record). As such, Segall has fallen victim of my personal prejudices (music is subjective after all) and I have to admit I was bored. The songs are serviceable with a few highlights - The Black Glove/Rag clatters with attitude, insults and purpose while opener Time purrs on the back of a acoustic heart once it gets going. Tongues also resonates with its bass driven groove and gnat like guitar stings. However, aside from that, there is little that is memorable. Maybe I need to give this a few more listens but on the first pass, I have to say I find it a bit disappointing and there is nothing which will change your world here. Luckily, Segall is so prolific, he'll probably have a new record in the near future to love.

--