Rating: 6/7
Ty Segall has been around the block. While he’s known for traditionally carrying a Lo-Fi/Garage rock vibe, Segall has used the past decade to experiment with rock ‘n roll, crafting his own unique sounds. Freedom’s Goblin is Segall’s 10th solo studio album, and his experience shows. Each track isn’t just recorded; it’s crafted into its own unique composition.
“Fanny Dog” is a fantastic start to the album. A sudden drum hit erupts into a fanfare, announcing the return of Ty Segall. With a heavy guitar, beating cymbals, and punchy lyrics, the track screams ‘power’. If that didn’t do it for you, after the second chorus there is a wailing guitar solo that previews what is to come for the rest of the album. This is Ty Segall in his element; this is Rock and Roll. Other tracks like “Alta,” and “Every 1’s a Winner” keep Segall’s traditional hard sound. At the base of “Every 1’s a Winner” there’s a heavy guitar riff that keeps a commanding grip of the track. The riff goes on throughout the entirety of the track; starting off as a simple repetition, but steadily evolving as the piece progresses.
Ty Segall is a Kinder Egg, hard and sweet on the outside, but once you open him up, he’s full of surprises. “Rain” is one of those surprises. It starts off simple, just a piano, hit of a drum, and Segall’s vocals, but once the chorus comes around it explodes into a flurry of emotion. Another surprisingly fruitful track is “Despoiler of Cadaver.” With its synthy beat and funky riff, this track sounds like it came out of the mind of George Clinton rather than Ty Segall.
“Talkin 3” isn’t much of a song, but more of an experiment. Its main components are squawking saxophones, and Segall screaming; it’s different. This ill-faded ska/punk mash-up isn’t that good of a song, but at least it’s fun. “The Main Pretender” follows, using the same instrumentation as
“Talkin 3,” but with a bearable arrangement. The saxophone turns out to be a really successful choice, it adds a good backing sound, but with a sense of displeasure.
Freedom’s Goblin is a musical journey through the scope of Ty Segall. The album is incredibly well put together, especially considering this came out only a year after his previous recording. It makes a fine collection to not only Segall’s discography, but to the whole indie rock world as well. Segall doesn’t belong to one genre, he embodies garage, glam, psych, lo-fi, among many others, and this album is the collection of that.
