Ty Segall is an American garage rock musician who has been active since 2008. The more I look into Segall, the more celebrated he seems to be, which is getting me increasingly excited to check out this album. White Fence is the work of another garage rock musician named Tim Presley, who has been active in the industry since 1998. Both Segall and Presley also dive into psychedelic rock as well, from what I can tell based on their respective Wikipedia pages. I really dig the psychedelic garage rock of the mid 1960s, so I’m pretty stoked to give this album a listen. With that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Time” starts out with an interesting mixture of jangling, light garage rock noises in the background accompanied by what sound to be some Gregorian chants, which is broken up by some rougher garage rock flavors. Holy smokes, the song has moved into another movement that I’m really digging, which almost has a sort of twangy cowboy feeling combined with some groovy garage rock flavors. I’m reminded a bit of King Tuff with the vocals and the acoustic guitar. I really dig the flavors from the electric guitar and the acoustic guitar, while the drums seem to gradually march the tune along. I’ve been thinking a lot recently about how I really dig acoustic guitar in the rhythm and electric guitar as the lead. Holy smokes, the tune changes up a ton as a guitar comes in with some big, crunchy distortion, and seems to reverse the flavors of the instrumentation while keeping the same mood in the track. Wow, great track.
Oh wow, “I Am Not a Game” begins with some electric guitar and some groovy organs that are set to a super sweet beat, which all come together for a sound that feels like a psychedelic garage rock song from coastal California circa 1966 and 1967. Holy smokes, this track is super groovy. The electric guitar comes in with some crunchy distortion and sort of creates a tone that somehow reminds me of Iron Butterfly and Phish, and I’m really digging the result. The vocals give the tune some modern flavors, but the playing overall from every instrument seems to span across decades of psychedelic rock styles. Wow, great tune.
“Easy Ryder” starts out with a groovy beat accompanied by some tambourine, creating a sound that almost feels like a somewhat punk-inflected version of The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Oh wow, I dig the tone of the lead guitar line in this track, which almost seems to be a mix of acid rock and surf rock from the 1960s. Wow, great track.
“The Black Glove/Rag” starts out with some nearly haunting whispers and voices, which soon give way to a super sweet track that reminds me of The Brian Jonestown Massacre with the big beat and the acoustic guitar keeping the tune moving along, while an electric guitar comes in for some simple and groovy accentuations, and the vocals have a strange quality that seems to be a sort of anti-folksy droning sound with some psychedelic rock flavors. Oh wow, the tune picks up into a second movement that feels markedly more punk and garage rock. Oh wow, the distortion on the electric guitar gets increasingly crunchy, and I’m digging the resulting sound a lot. Wow, another great track.
“Crybaby” begins in a manner that reminds me of Minutemen or possibly even the Dead Kennedys with the wails from the vocalist at the track. Then the super sweet bass line comes in and contrasts nicely with the extreme distortion on the electric guitar while melding well with the strong beat. I really dig the piano in the track, which somehow seems to further increase the distortion in the song. Super sweet tune.
“(I Can’t) Get Around You” starts out with a mixture of twangy acoustic guitar, a super sweet bass line, and vocals that seem to exist somewhere between the guitars, while the garage rock style drums keep the tune continually marching forward. I really dig the electric guitar in this track, which seems to really take the track into a chaotic psychedelic rock territory. Great track.
“Scissor People” begins in a way that sounds like a really groovy psychedelic garage rock track from the Count Five’s only album, Psychotic Reaction (1966), with the raw flavors and high-octane feel that seem laced with psychedelia. Holy smokes, the track changes up into a sort of scatterbrained sequential collage of super raw, garage rock distortion, and then gets into a really groovy movement that seems to highlight a mixture of punk and garage rock sounds in a manner that borders on shoegazing at times, and resolves to a really interesting psychedelic style. Great track.
Oh wow, “Tongues” starts out with a bright mixture of acoustic guitar and processed vocals that combine for a light psychedelia that I’m really digging. Oh wow, the tune gradually becomes more jarring as the jagged, distorted guitar lines come into the soundscape. Oh wow, the jagged guitar gradually eases into a really groovy line, and the psychedelia of the track is further increased. The super distorted flavors of the lead electric guitar almost pick up a sort of raga feel. I really dig the bass line in the track, which has a groovy, dynamic feel that continually bops the tune forward, even as the effects and guitar work create some discordant sounds that contrast nicely with said bass guitar. Oh wow, the track winds up in a really groovy way that seems to tie together the psychedelia contained in the album. Great tune, and a super sweet way to finish this listening experience.
Holy smokes, I can understand why I saw so many good things online about Ty Segall and White Fence. The music in this album is both garage rock, while going against the grain of garage rock, and combines far out psychedelic flavors with a certain harsh style that feels rooted in punk rock. There were flavors that felt like they were from California in 1967, flavors from 1980s punk rock, and flavors from the psychedelic and anti-folk stylings of groups like The Brian Jonestown Massacre. If you’re into psychedelic garage rock and punk rock, you might want to consider checking out this album. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A