CD Reviews

Ty Segall | Goodbye Bread

Drag City (2011)

By LIZ PELLY | June 29, 2011

3.5 Stars

At just 23 years old, Ty Segall is on his fifth LP, and that's not counting more than a dozen releases with Sic Alps and his four other bands. But Goodbye Bread — his first record for Drag City, in which he plays every instrument — is his most scrupulous work to date. Formerly known for fast, blown-out garage punk, the San Francisco native here takes his usual punky, fuzz-laden backdrop and mellows it out, assuming the role of a Bob Dylan/Neil Young–inspired songwriter instead. Goodbye starts with the creeping, bare-bone title track's simple distorted riffs, thoughtful lyrics, and echoing falsetto flecks, leading to the first of many psyched-out guitar solos at around the two-minute mark. The record's best tracks range from the bluesy, lovesick "You Make the Sun Fry" ("Oh won't you take me to the hill?/ Put me in that Coupe de Ville/ And tell me that you that you love me still") to the extra-psychedelic, Lennon-reminiscent "I Am with You." Ultimately, though, all 10 are some of his best to date, and all are potential singles. Segall spent six months writing and recording Goodbye — his longest investment in a record yet. The time spent soaking in the classics has paid off.

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