Having had only three albums released in 2016 the bettors amongst you may well get good odds on him topping that this year, seeing as we’re not out of January yet and Ty Segall’s dropping a new album upon us. Cheeky chap that he is it’s self-titled (the musical equivalent of an untitled artwork) & so named the same as his 2008 album. Cue a possible boost to back-catalogue sales.

Musically this is Segall’s first album with a full band for a while although how you’d know that just by listening to it I’ve no idea. Style-wise it would easily pass a blind test as having his hands all over it. Speaking of hands there’s a ten minute track in the third slot of the ten, ‘Warm Hands (Freedom Returned)’, which is rather like the album in miniature – ferocious bits and languid, noodly bits. This works fine on record but live it could possibly be a bore.

Ty Segall starts off with one of those ferocious bits as opening track ‘Break A Guitar’ races out of the speakers. Not quite as much of a punch to the face as ‘Falling In’ in the similar position on last year’s Goggs but definitely a near relative.

Elsewhere (on ‘Orange Color Queen’ for example) Segall’s interest in Marc Bolan is as evident as ever, his voice resembling the late singer’s on a number of the album’s softer tracks. ‘Papers’ and ‘Take Care (To Comb Your Hair)’, towards the album’s end are probably two of Segall’s most mature songs, particularly the piano arrangement on the former. Not that there’s anything wrong with the fun elements that a bit of immaturity can bring to proceedings (which is what we love him for).

Ty Segall ends rather abruptly as it turns out that the tenth track is in fact just 12 seconds long so may as well be the recording of a fart. It’s called ‘Untitled’, which is where we came in. 

Ty Segall is available from amazon.

The new album by Cate Le Bon is her fourth release. The welsh singer has now set up residence in LA and this new album Crab Day is a reflection in part to her new surroundings.

Le Bon rose to fame with her quirky odd vocal sound. Her first few releases and recordings were recorded in Welsh and this album is an attempt to extend her sound with attempts to provide us with a collection of west coast haunting melodies. However the quirky or even down right odd feel of her music remains in part, yet we were hoping for something a little bit more.

The album opens with the title track ‘Crab Day’. A jaunty jumpy number with Le Bon’s vocals seemingly struggling to fit the framework of the song. Yet surprisingly it somehow works and her off key subtle vocals produce one, if not the best track on the album.

‘Love is Not Love’ is a slower paced affair which allow her voice the time and space it deserves. She is clearly a very talented lyricist and this track in particular displays her talents at her very best.

However from the opening two tracks the album rather descends into a swirling odd world of offbeat singing. ‘Wonderful’ is a case in point. We all celebrate oddity in all its forms but this track seems to be to self-aware of its oddity. This self-awareness is continued in the track ‘Find Me’ and the album starts to become tiring to listen too.

‘I’m A Dirty Attic’ is at least a challenging and engaging track in the simple fact that it returns Le Bon to a more familiar environment. Her moody, sombre vocals resonate with a slow paced intrigue sound.  This is followed with the equally engaging ‘I Was Born on the Wrong Day’.  Yet as interesting as these tracks are we can't help feeling that she has more to offer.

The album descends back into the celebration of oddity with further tracks such as ‘Yellow Blinds, Cream Shadows’ and ‘How Do You Know?’   It’s clear that Le Bon has enormous talent. However this album has broken some of that innocents and feels over produced and too self-aware of what worked previously. The initial part of her charm was that she was quirky, now she realises that this sells and she or her record company seem to be capitalising on this. We want the old Cate back please.

Crab Day is available via Amazon & iTunes.