Does The Segall know any limit?
A rerelease of the 2008 LP, The Traditional Fools allows any Segall-maniac to wind the clocks back to Mr. Segall’s earlier days as a scuzzy surf punk. In a way, this is one of his most consistent releases, The Fools never lay off the fuzz, as they thrash and crash to the end of the disc. Some songs are heavier on the surf, “Layback!!”, some heavier on the punk “Kill Someone You Hate,” but the album always feels consistent, never throwing any left curves at you. I’m not gonna promise you anything mindmelting within, but I will assure you 20- some minutes of pure fun. Whereas Segall’s more recent releases feel and sound like they were expertly produced, this sounds like something coming straight out of the garage, recorded by a couple of dudes looking for nothing more than to play some drunken party jams. And in the end, what’s wrong with that?
“Light Up Gold” is one of my favorite records of the year. Parquet Courts, made up of members of Fergus & Geronimo, make smart, stylized indie rock in the vein of The Strokes’ “Is This It” and Television’s “Marquee Moon.” The guitar work shifts from punctuated to punk with an intelligent use of dissonance on the song “Yr No Stoner” and the squealing feedback on the album’s longest track, “Stoned and Starving.” With intelligent lyrics packed with observation in the vein of David Byrne on “Talking Heads: 77”, and the band’s knack for guitar hooks it’s hard not to fall in love with Parquet Courts.
The world underground masterminds at sublime frequencies once again shed light on the transcultural influence of rock with this compilation which documents only the mid-late sixties, but encompasses the spread of rock, its adaptation to malaysian and sigaporian tastes and customs, and its developmental arc from an underground taboo to explosive popularity complete with fashion and teen idols. The influence of hard-hitters like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and Buddy Holly is readily apparent, but almost all of the singing is in Malay, and you'll also hear flourishes of psych rock, mod influence, and surf.
