Preceded by the 'She Got Harder' single in November 2015 GØGGS is the latest in a long line of Ty Segall bands/projects/releases (although it's existence is described as a "necessity" by fellow core member Chris Shaw). 

Now to my mind Segall's Ty Rex album of Marc Bolan covers was one of the most pointless releases of recent months (or compilations of older recordings, if you prefer) and his subsequent Emotional Mugger album left me similarly cold. Given the amount of material forthcoming from him over the past decade it could well be I've reached peak Segall. Still, with Shaw & regular collaborator Charles Mootheart in the band and guests on the album including Mikal Cronin and Wand's Cory Hanson there's always a chance of an unexpected breadth of sound or something else different to make this stand out from all of his other material.  

Fear not. A month after having written the preceding paragraphs, in which time Segall & his band of Muggers played an insane show to close out Primavera Sound 2016 thereby proving I'd jumped the gun in feeling I'd had enough of his output and having been enthused by the (just over) 25 minutes of GØGGS, it's safe to say this is one of his most vital & visceral works. Who needs greater breadth?

It's primitive, pounding punk at its best. What do the guests contribute? No idea - if not for the live rawness of the product it could easily be the work of just the man himself, such is the near total absence of any other personality aside from his. There are some backing vocals later on but for the bulk of the ten tracks all you have is Segall's urgent vocal delivery, rudimentary guitar riffs (fuzzed to the nth degree and heavy as you like) with the drums thumping basically behind it all. Great stuff.

GØGGS is available from amazon & iTunes.

The latest from Ty Segall’s stable, the most prolific man in music is back with yet another incendiary blast of primal rock. This time with his heavier outfit Fuzz, their second album aptly named II sees them in raucous form from the off as slow building track, ‘Time Collapse Pt. II / The 7th Terror’ opens proceedings. As the riffs kick in though they’re straight down to business, the primitive drums once again underpinning the monolithic riffs.

The album is packed with intricate, blusterous riffs and jaw-dropping guitar solos. However they reach their peak with tracks like ‘Bringer Of Light’, with its haunting tone and Segall’s equally dark vocals; the guitar’s toned down and there’s only a mere squeal of brightness here and there. The rest is rooted in the darker theme but that’s not to say there aren't a ton of riffs in there too.

 II becomes almost a tour of everything that is great about rock music, from its early Led Zeppelin-esque tracks; moving towards Black Sabbath as ‘Pipe’ hurtles into view with its powerful vocals leading the way, whilst the brooding guitars provide an incredible pounding rhythm.

There is no let up though; Fuzz provide a full on aural onslaught of epic proportions, each track more intriguing than the last. Yet despite the album being rooted in rock, Fuzz effortlessly touch upon a variety of genres, from punk to metal to prog and most things in between.

As the album closes with its thirteen-minute rock epic title track, ‘II’, we’re in complete awe of Fuzz, their incredible rock prowess and the incredible ease at which these incessant riffs are delivered, alongside the seething drums and bass. As this final incendiary track provides an insane closing blast of excitement we’re left contemplating how incredible Fuzz truly are.

Having abandoned all expectation and relied upon instinct alone, II is an insatiable album packed with the most incredible tracks. With their genre-defying rock of the highest order, akin to that of rock Gods Led Zeppelin and many of their contemporaries. Are Fuzz the Led Zeppelin of today? Who are we to say? Based upon this monolithic beast of an effort they state their case very well. Their intricate rhythms and riffs coupled with Segall’s exquisite drumming make it almost undeniable to us.

II is Available now via Amazon & iTunes.