Ty Segall and White Fence (musician Tim Presley) have released another collaborative album to follow up 2012’s Hair. This year’s Joy captures their unique spirit when they record together. Bringing together their vast experience in the worlds of garage rock, art punk, psychedelia, and that indefinable je ne sais quoi, they hit that sweet spot of sounding like a ‘70s record with the added benefit of all the experimental music that has happened since.
Featuring shorter tracks and a more varied sound than Hair, Joy adds a layer of progressive rock and more complex songwriting. Some of the tracks almost sound like half-finished thoughts, such as “Room Connector” and “Rock Flute,” but they really delve into that Captain Beefheart style of atonal dissonance and wonky percussion.
While the album remains true to its garage rock allegiance, the deeper level of freewheeling, unbridled experimentation compliments both performers well. There is no word for their style on Joy. Much more intense and eclectic than Hair, it is a driving record full of breathless sprints and hard left turns. It can be tough to follow at times because of the sheer variety and the shorter songs (plus the album is only 31 minutes to begin with).
Combining edges of punk rock, oddball skronkiness, free-flowing psychedelia, the ever-present thrash of garage, and wild-eyed fearlessness, Joy wouldn’t be out of place on a sunny road trip, or as the soundtrack to a short film. Vocally, there’s less of Segall’s grandiose choruses and singalong moments, as the album demands a more spastic approach to compliment the ever-shifting song structures. The lo-fi nature gives everything a sort of unpolished feel without sounding ragged as well, making it just perfect for bonfire night or a nice sunny drive through the desert. Easy Rider comes to mind.
This is the sort of album created by two musicians who literally cannot stop the music from flowing out of them. It sounds like these sounds have been bursting forth from them for a while, and they were only recently able to harness the surging energy contained in these 15 tracks. With Ty and White Fence putting on a joint performance at Desert Daze in California, it’s anyone’s guess what material makes it into the set, as they both have a considerable wealth of music between them. All this author can say is that it’s gonna be pretty punk rock.
Rating: 9 out of 10
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