Earlier this year, Ty Segall released his tenth solo album in as many years. That prolific output has ranged from early lo-fi garage rock, sludge surf… to psych pop gems.
Segall’s latest album, a double LP titled ‘Freedom’s Goblin’, is a straight shot to the teeth for those wondering what ever happened to rock n’ roll.
Ty Segall and the Freedom Band are performing in Rapid City at the Dahl Arts Center on Friday, April 6th.
Late September last year, California rocker Ty Segall drops this song titled Alta.
The promo graphic for the song was a solid green square. No explanation. No announcement, other than that the tune was recorded with legendary producer Steve Albini who worked on the Nirvana classic In Utero.
It wasn’t totally out of the ordinary. Fans of Segall have come to expect an album almost every year… not to mention several EPs, demo collections and side projects like Fuzz and Goggs.
Fast forward a month later and another song appears. This time as a yellow square.
It starts off as a drum breakdown, similar to the breakdown from an earlier album, a song called Feel. But quickly it turns sinister and with a new voice.
Segall’s wife Denee joins for the song. It’s a little something for all the Rapid City punk rockers from the 90’s
Alta and Meaning became part of a larger collection of songs we now know as Freedom’s Goblin. A rollicking, double LP, where each song serves as its own unique vignette that somehow fits into the larger goblin picture frame.
Segall first got his start in the late 2000’s when a small group of ruffians in San Francisco were tired of being shushed at Devandra Banhart concerts and other freak folk shows.
Those punks ended up blossoming such early groups as the Coachwhips and Thee Oh Sees to eventually Wand, Meatbodies and many more.
Many have left the tech confines of San Francisco for the warmer climate of Los Angeles.
Segall has since set up a recording studio in his garage in LA where he’s produced his own and several other albums.
Not all of Freedom’s Goblin is an assault on the senses, however. Take the lullaby My Lady’s On Fire, perhaps an ode to Segall’s recent marriage to Denee.
Freedom’s Goblin picks up where his last, self titled album left off.. but the album makes it’s way into a kind of Freak Funk territory.
It comes complete with a groove from a long time back. A cover of the classic tune by Hot Chocolate… Every1’s a Winner.
Pitchfork calls this Ty Segall’s White Album. And I would have to agree. Whereas the White Album is a collection of songs from the Beatles songwriter during their own height, Freedom’s Goblin is similar as Segall finds himself reckoning with the finer points of his vast discography.
Ty Segall and the Freedom Band perform at the Dahl Arts Center on April 6th.
Having seen performances of some of these songs last October, I can assure you this is a show you won’t want to miss. The Rapid City performance has been in the works since last summer. It’s sure to be one of the best shows of the year.
And who wouldn’t want to welcome the Freedom band to the City of Presidents?