Back in the day, the cultural comedy series ‘In Living Color’ featured the “Hey Mon” skit of Jamaican a family whose self worth was based on the number of jobs one had. The more jobs you had, the more worthy you were, and a doctor with only one job was thought to be a “lazy coconut blood clot.” Ty Segall with his own band, numerous side projects, annual record releases (sometimes two in one year) and touring could have easily fit in well with the Hedley family…if he were Jamaican and the age he is now back in 1990.
Seemingly influenced by his surroundings, coming from Southern California and having lived in San Francisco for a number of years, the evolution of Segall’s music weaves stories, tones and moods from the rock and roll Hollywood hills in the 60s to the streets of the Mission that have not yet fallen to gentrification. Grimy. Real. Soothing. Loud. Fucking rad.
Released on Drag City out of Chicago, Twins came out in the fall of 2012, bookended and filled with tunes to make one swoon, sweat and trip out.
A few dirgy chords into the first track, “Thank God For Sinners,” can transport one to Leary Land, when the flared, sunglass adorned, long-hair musicians were dominating the airwaves from the U.S. to the U.K.
‘Round the corner it’s balls-out on “You’re The Doctor,” whilst “Inside Your Heart” has a similar vibe of Segall’s Goodbye Bread and a foursome that ventured to Strawberry Fields with kaleidoscope eyes. “Would You Be My Love” sparks a jump on the dance floor for The Cavern Stomp and “Who Are You” could have easily been covered by Jimi Hendrix as the ghost of Winterland past.
Throughout this Twins adventure, Segall balances the yin with yang, the ear-bleeding-so-good instrumentation with his liquid gold vocals and harmonies, showing a natural and organic progression since 2008’s Horn the Unicorn.
Ty Segall comes to Denver on Tuesday, February 12 at the Hi-Dive (previously scheduled for February 11) with Ex Cult, Thee Dang Dangs and Dirty Few, the last date of a nationwide tour that began in mid January. Then it’s back home to work on his other nine jobs Mon.
