Lo-fi musician
Ty Segall first garnered public acclaim as the lead singer of Orange County, California garage rock revivalists
the Epsilons. With that band, he practiced a rawer, snottier take on
Strokes/
Vines/
White Stripes-style rock, occasionally delving into more retro territory. On his solo album,
Lemons, however,
Segall delivered a much more traditional sound, studiously re-creating '60s guitar tones and drenching his tracks in old-school reverb. The stomping results bore a striking resemblance to early garage masters such as
the Sonics and
the Standells, as well as proto-punks
the Stooges and bedroom folk antecedent
Alexander "Skip" Spence. He returned in 2010 with Melted. 2011 was a busy year for him, with two albums -- Live in Aisle Five and Goodbye Bread -- scheduled for release. Goodbye Bread marked a turn toward
Segall's softer side, evoking a John Lennon-like take on quieter and more introspective singer/songwriter fare. In 2012,
Segall collaborated with Strange Boys' offshoot White Fence on Hair. This mini-album married
Segall's Beatles-soaked pop hooks and production with White Fence's Syd Barrett-influenced, acid-damaged garage sounds. Two more
Segall albums followed that year, including June's Slaughterhouse with the Ty Segall Band on In the Red, and Twins, the completely solo follow-up to Goodbye Bread released on Drag City in October.
Segall's profile grew, and 2013 began with several reissues of previous projects, including a 2009 collaboration with Mikal Cronin entitled Reverse Shark Tank, as well as his earlier garage trio the Traditional Fools' out of print 2008 debut.
–
Pemberton Roach, Rovi