
Flat out, Ty Segall deserves the attention and praise that he’s recently been receiving. He went from being an underground obscurity to being a household rock ‘n roll name among those who pay attention to this kind of stuff in a couple years worth of time. He’s only 23, the age before Jay Reatard was Jay Reatard and the age 3/4 of the Black Lips were when they began approaching the brink of abounding ‘indie’ fame. As a solo artist, Goodbye Bread is his fourth full-length, impressive enough. He found the time to go to college as well! Melted was my introduction to the man; I’m not going to sit here and pretend to have known him since Lemons days. I’m sure many of his new fans can say the same. At any rate, Melted was one of the more exciting rock ‘n roll LPs I had heard in 2010. I was an instant fan of the intense, in-your-face, sad fuzz that encompassed most of the thing. Whereas Melted got heavy at any given moment in time, Goodbye Bread as a whole is a slower work, defined not only by occasional spurts that surely recall previous Ty, but by more fleshed out songwriting. Opening song “Goodbye Bread” has been kicking around for about a year. It’s amazing. Right when those drums kick in, damn, son. Also, right when that guitar solo kicks in, damn, son. Ty knows how to craft a song right. The calmness of “Goodbye Bread” is contrasted by the appropriately titled “California Commercial,” a terse, waggish pounding: “Come to California, stay inside your house” it begins. Maybe someone listening to “California Commercial” will want to stay inside a “Comfortable Home,” a place to settle down. “You Make The Sun Fry” is Goodbye Bread‘s “Caesar,” a steady fast song with a wealth of catchy instrumentation and a noice rhythm. “I Can’t Feel It” is a mid-ranger and also the first 7″ to be released in conjunction with this record. It moves quite well and has one of those splits at the end which I am a sucker for. Exactly the kind of stuff you want to end the first side of a record you’re listening to. The psychedelic, bass-heavy “My Head Explodes” may be the most well-written tune on here. I said that about “Goodbye Bread,” didn’t I? This one can take a co- position with that one. “In time I am a melody. A front for you and all to see” is just one line of many from that. The meaning? I’m not so sure. “The Floor” opens up with a near country tinged freak-out and moves along a bit like its predecessor. “Where Your Mind Goes” reminds me of — and this is a weird one — Arctic Monkeys material. Minus the Brit accents and Add In layers of fuzz unthinkable to our friends over seas. Good stuff. “I Am With You” is the longest song on the album and it sure feels it. Every now and then it’s just nice to listen to Ty wail. And there’s wailing to be had through and through, it can be a little jovial at times –> “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride”. It’s a parting slow song, reminiscent of “Goodbye Bread.” From initial listens, I can surely say this is something grand. It’s a different animal than Melted and why shouldn’t it be! Oh no…oh yeah!
Haha I dig these “early takes,” very informative. But, your 23 comparison is a bit off (a minor point) . Jay was 23 in 2003, a solid 3-5 years before the “fame” he would later receive. In terms of the Lips, I’ll give ya Joe, but even that is a bit of a stretch, since Good Bad was just starting to take off by the tail end of ’07 and started to gain even greater popularity with ’08. But, once again minor point.
Thanks, though you misunderstood. The age comparison is to demonstrate how he has reached/almost reached [after this is release I’m predicting] “fame” (which to anyone reading this knows ‘fame’ is not ‘fame’ in the mainstream or even pseudo-mainstream sense) before Jay or the Lips. Not the other way around.
I guess Segall is more commercial earlier on than these others were and there is a larger “scene” for this kind of thing now than there was when those other people were younger. This means a larger absorptive capacity for new acts and a larger stage is possibly offered. The Black Lips played in a very small venue here in 2004 and people didn’t particularly care then so things surely weren’t like they are now for them.
Good points.
Why is this the only written record of “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride” being one of Segall’s songs? I feel gaslit and mandella effected.
maybe it was a hidden track!