Over the last 5 or so years, Ty Segall has been one of the most prolific and enjoyable acts in the garage rock scene. With 9 studio albums, tons of collaborations, and recordings done with a multitude of other bands, he has cemented himself as a very talented multi-instrumentalist already, at the young age of 28. So, with all of this experience and work under his belt, how would he approach the music on his 8th solo album, Emotional Mugger?
The fusion of lo-fi garage rock and psychedelic punk-rock found on Ty's latest release is something that really took me by surprise. Not because of the influence itself, as the garage rock wonder kid has always been known for his risk taking and fusion of other genres, but instead I was surprised by just how heavy and dirty the production on this album was. It's raw, it's out there, and it's loud as hell. The use of heavy distortion layered with the bluesy, psychedelic hard rock guitar makes for my favorite aspect of the whole album. Throughout the track listing, we get multiple instances of Ty jamming out on the guitar, messing around with different techniques and approaches to playing, which when fused with the distortion makes for some amazingly raw solos.
The mixing of the vocals on many of the tracks is also worth praise, as it manages keep Ty's voice evident and easy to hear, without having it float over top of the rest of the instrumentation, something that happens way too frequently in cleanly produced rock music. With that being said clean is really as far opposite as you can get from what this album is, and that's what makes it stand out so much. The biggest problem that comes with this, for me personally at least, is how wrapped up and engulfed by the musicianship I am while listening. It's not a bad thing to focus on the instruments being played when listening to an album, but in the case of Emotional Mugger, it often times has me completely ignoring the vocals, that as I mentioned are actually mixed quite well. It does seem evident to me however, that the vocals were never meant to be the star of this album, as with many if not all of Ty's older projects, it's his talent with the guitar that really shines through. Tracks like the first two in the listing Squealer and Californian Hills are perfect examples of tracks where I simply find myself ignoring the vocals, because the guitar is so damn enjoyable. When we hear Californian Hills breaking down slowly, and then being built back up to an epic display of fast-paced noisy guitar work and loud booming drums, it's a perfect summation of what I enjoy my garage rock to be.
The only track throughout the listing that I can't see myself keeping on repeat, is W.U.O.T.W.S that sees a very experimental approach, as your hearing a layer of noise on top of clips and pieces from earlier songs on the album. I'll admit, maybe I just don't understand the purpose of including it on the album, but that's the exact reason why I find myself struggling to enjoy it. There's just too much going on, and while I respect the effort to be different, it just doesn't fit in with the rest of the album, and for me at least, is a questionable inclusion in the track-listing. Especially when you consider it comes in at over three minutes long.
At the end of the day, Ty Segall came through with what is yet another fantastic album by one of the better solo garage rock acts out there at the moment. If you like noisy rock music, this is surely something you need to check out.
Favorite Tracks: Squealer, Californian Hills, Emotional Mugger/Leopard Priestess, Breakfast Edge, Diversion, Candy Sam, Squealer Two.
Least Favorite Tracks: W.U.O.T.W.S
Rating: 4/5
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