Few things are certain in this world, but we can know with absolute certainty: we're all born, we all die, and San Francisco garage-rocker Ty Segall will continue his superhuman output until his dying breath. On his own, he's issued six LPs since 2009 and that's not even accounting for EPs or collaborative efforts. And while he relentlessly tinkered from release to release, twisting sunny day recollections into menacing garage rave-ups, he never quite developed a pill to encapsulate his chameleonic nature, though this year's Sleeper (released in August) comes close.
The prolific Segall's modus operandi on Sleeper is simple, barren acoustic tracks coat catchy melodies in an amniotic sheen. Segall's vocals mutate into a folksy, nasally croon capturing decaying relationships (familial and otherwise). Segall referred to the LP as a "purge" and few attempt to shed weight quite like the midnight rambler "The Man Man". In its subdued state, Sleeper is unquestionably a nocturnal album and "The Man Man" records the crossover from dream to nightmare. Segall's ragged acoustic guitar part spins its wheel, perpetually grasping for someone out of reach. His nasal whine documents a traveling figure (not unlike himself) wandering under waterslides and into caves, akin to the Who's "The Seeker". That fabled character was searching for answers, but Segall's lead is aiming to escape, saying "so long" as quick as he can. The figure's departure is hastened by a well-placed guitar solo near the song's end. Segall's pain is feebly concealed while the electric intruder rages. In dream speak, it's the moment in the nightmare when you're surrounded and all you can do is swing wildly and pray it pays off. The dream world is a disparate place; so it’s no wonder the restless Segall adeptly captures all of its ebbs and flows.
The video for "The Man Man" is out now and features a car full of masked figures skulking through dark streets in search of Segall.
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