''Ty Segall'' is the ninth studio album by American

garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...

musician

Ty Segall Ty (stylized as ty) is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. It was founded by Ty Warner in 1986. It designs, develops and sells products, most notably Beanie Babies, exclusively to speci ...

, released on January 27, 2017, on

Drag City Records Drag City is an American independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, ...

. Recorded with engineer

Steve Albini Steve Albini (pronounced ; born July 22, 1962) is an American musician, record producer, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman and Flour, and is a member of Shellac. He is the founder, owner and principal en ...

, it is Segall's second self-titled studio album, following the release of his debut in 2008. Preceded by the single, "Orange Color Queen", the album was recorded with a full

backing band A backup band or backing band is a musical ensemble that typically accompanies a single artist who is the featured performer. The situation may be a live performance or in a recording session, and the group may or may not have its own name, such ...

, consisting of regular collaborators,

Mikal Cronin Michael "Mikal" Patrick Cronin (born 1985) is an American musician and songwriter. He has released four solo albums and several singles. Cronin was a member of the bands Okie Dokie, Epsilons, Party Fowl and Moonhearts, and is a regular and long ...

(bass),

Charles Moothart Charles Frances Moothart (born 1989) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter. He is best known for his collaborations with the garage rock musicians Ty Segall and Mikal Cronin. Moothart is the drummer for Segall's current b ...

(drums) and

Emmett Kelly Emmett Leo Kelly (December 9, 1898March 28, 1979) was an American circus performer, who created the clown figure "Weary Willie," based on the hobos of the Great Depression in the 1930s. According to Charles W. Carey, Jr.: :Kelly’s creation of ...

(guitar), alongside Ben Boye (piano). Following the album's release, the band became known as The Freedom Band.

Background and recording

Following the release of his eighth studio album, ''

Emotional Mugger ''Emotional Mugger'' is the eighth studio album by American garage rock musician Ty Segall, released on January 22, 2016 on Drag City Records. The album was produced by both Segall and F. Bermudez. To tour in support of ''Emotional Mugger'', Sega ...

'' (2016), Segall formed The Muggers, a

high concept High concept is a type of artistic work that can be easily pitched with a succinctly stated premise. It can be contrasted with ''low concept'', which is more concerned with character development and other subtleties that are not as easily summa ...

backing band, to tour in support of the release. After the tour's completion, Segall retained both

(bass) and

(guitar) to begin work on a ninth studio album, with regular collaborator

(drums) and Ben Boye (piano,

Wurlitzer The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to as simply Wurlitzer, is an American company started in Cincinnati in 1853 by German immigrant (Franz) Rudolph Wurlitzer. The company initially imported stringed, woodwind and brass instruments ...

) also participating in the recording process. Recording as a live band, Segall noted: "''Mugger'' was a super-sketchy

concept record A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Some ...

thing, '' Manipulator'' was like, 'I wanna do the cleanest, shiniest

glam rock Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was performed by musicians who wore outrageous costumes, makeup, and hairstyles, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists drew on diver ...

record.' They all have a thing, and the thing for this record was that I recorded it live with a band. ..It's the same idea as ''

Slaughterhouse A slaughterhouse, also called abattoir (), is a facility where animals are slaughtered to provide food. Slaughterhouses supply meat, which then becomes the responsibility of a packaging facility. Slaughterhouses that produce meat that is no ...

'', but with my songs. That's gonna' be the band for the indefinite future, as well." Reflecting on the recording process, Segall elaborated: "I’d always recorded

overdub Overdubbing (also known as layering) is a technique used in audio recording in which audio tracks that have been pre-recorded are then played back and monitored, while simultaneously recording new, doubled, or augmented tracks onto one or more av ...

records. I love the weird overdub style, like ''

The Madcap Laughs ''The Madcap Laughs'' is the debut solo album by the English singer-songwriter Syd Barrett. It was recorded after Barrett had left Pink Floyd in April 1968. The album had a chequered recording history, with work beginning in mid-1968, but the b ...

'' by

Syd Barrett Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett (6 January 1946 – 7 July 2006) was an English singer, songwriter, and musician who co-founded the rock band Pink Floyd in 1965. Barrett was their original frontman and primary songwriter, becoming known for his ...

, where you can tell it’s being overdubbed and it’s kind of warbly. It creates a different experience. Or the ''

White Album White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

'', where you can tell it’s overdubbing. But there’s something about a band in a room – it’s a feeling you can’t replicate. There’s a feel to the music. The band is so good, and I love the feel of this record." The album was recorded with noted

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

recording engineer

, with Segall noting: "He’s a master. I think we share an opinion on how to make a record. It's so much fun. He just wants to help you make what you want to make. There’s no ego. He doesn’t insert himself into the situation in a crazy way; he just wants to achieve what you want to do. What we were doing, I think, is one of his favourite things to do – just a band in a room playing super loud music." Drummer Charles Moothart noted, "He works hard, but also works smart. He knows how to use his time and how to get the best results, and ultimately wants to be a tool to help whoever he is working with get what they want out of the session. That can be intimidating at first, but at the end of the day he is an inspirational person to work with." A

press release A press release is an official statement delivered to members of the news media for the purpose of providing information, creating an official statement, or making an announcement directed for public release. Press releases are also considere ...

from Segall's label described the album's sound: "The construction and destruction of egall'schosen realities has, until now, been a luxury Ty has rightfully reserved for himself, striping overdubs together to form the sound - but for this new album, he entered a studio backed by a full band - Emmett Kelly, Mikal Cronin, Charles Moothart and Ben Boye - to get a read on this so-called clarity."

Writing and composition

The track "Orange Color Queen" is a

love song A love song is a song about romantic love, falling in love, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. A comprehensive list of even the best known performers and composers of love songs would be a large order. ...

written for Segall's girlfriend Denée. Upon the album's announcement, Segall noted: "I've written her many ongs but I think this is my favorite. I travel around the world for a living and have developed a slight fear of flying. She's one of the things that makes it better for me to travel. Especially when she is with me. She has orange hair, and is my orange color queen. I rarely write songs like this, because it is so easy to sound disingenuous, but I think this one is pretty good."

Accolades

Track listing

Personnel

The Freedom Band *Ty Segall - guitar, vocals *Emmett Kelly - guitar, backing vocals *Mikal Cronin - bass guitar, backing vocals (track 9) *Charles Moothart - drums, percussion *Ben Boye - piano, Wurlitzer

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2017 albums Drag City (record label) albums Ty Segall albums albums produced by Steve Albini