Artist: Ty Segall & White Fence
Title: Hair
Record Label: Drag City
Rating: 7.5

Ever wondered what Hunter S. Thompson’s hallucinations must have sounded like? Well that’s Hair. Recorded at San Francisco Bauer Mansion basement studio it takes a few listens to let this lo-fi psychedelic release sink in properly, yet their opening with the emblematic ‘Time’ is a good omen of the end result. In a time of 60’s rock revival Segall borrows heavily from long past glories to make them his own, including a welcomed tinge of melodious nostalgia from the whining guitars and his often-muddled lyrics. The organs we’d thought long lost are back, with Segall on the rhythm and relentless drums. And just when you think you’ve got this 8-piece track list figured out Tim Presley’s White Fence jumps at you with a Sonic Youth twist, watch out for it on the edgy ‘Scissor People’. James Hetfield once said that guitar solos were dead and Presley’s rebuttal should put the argument to rest. His distortions are handled with superb care and come only after the tone has been set up for the rest of the album to
evolve organically.

After a myriad of names and recordings Segall’s latest joint venture strikes as sonically profitable. This is a solid album that sticks to its guns and makes no apologies for its loudness. It is perhaps Ty Segall & White Fence’s very honesty that reminds me the most of that harsh golden era in rock’n’roll this collaboration comes out as homage to. This is a record for purists, one of those releases meant for the texture of vinyl; a collection full of promises for the bands arrival to Vancouver this May.