Logo
DiS Needs You: Save our site »
  • Logo_home2
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • In Photos
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Search
  • Community
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • Blog
  • Community

THIS SITE HAS BEEN ARCHIVED AND CLOSED.

Please join the conversation over on our new forums »

If you really want to read this, try using The Internet Archive.

Ty Segall and White Fence

Hair

Label: Drag City Release Date: 23/04/2012

83085
RussWarf by Russell Warfield April 19th, 2012

If it sounds a little underwhelming to say that Hair pretty much sounds like what you would expect a collaboration between broadly similar garage rockers Ty Segall and White Fence to sound like, let me assure you that it's also what you would probably want and hope it to sound like. Rather than coming together to spur each other into brand new and potentially ill advised territories (an outcome which wouldn't have been entirely surprising considering Segall's attempts to branch out on his slightly dialled down 2011 LP) the two artists instead spend half an hour playing to their pre-established strengths – staying in their comfort zones, and riding the fun, sloppy, rockin' sound to its effortlessly entertaining destination.

A question to anyone who plays a rock and roll instrument: have you ever been introduced to someone at a party who also plays a rock and roll instrument, and they suggest that you 'should jam sometime'? Hair sounds like this awkward social invitation gone brilliantly right. Two artists whose venn diagram was close to a perfect circle before they even collaborated, Hair stands as a collection of eight jams which sound as carefree, ramshackle and loose as they do well-formed and tightly focussed. Shuffling between jangly chords at peppy tempos, there's a real joy and energy passing between the two artists. It's impossible not to picture them in the practice room, giving themselves over to just enjoying playing garage rock together, sharing in a mutual passion for translating the music they love into the music they're making. Simple structures and melodies allow them to simply kick back and ride the jam, concentrating on the business of letting the guitars feed off the drums, and the drums feeding off guitars, shredding the frets and battering the skins as an end unto itself – just because it's just a fun thing to do. Listen to how songs like 'Crybaby' and 'Scissor Tongue' build themselves into rock and roll frenzies of extended grooves, accelerating tempos, hammered pianos and distorted guitar. Fuck the end of year lists – these guys are just having a blast.

All the way throughout the record are the glorious sparks of spontaneity, the throwaway flourishes which get ironed out of an over thought arrangement or an over rehearsed recording – the way the awkward guitar line wanders around under the third verse of 'Easy Rider', or the absolutely where-the-hell-did-that-come-from guitar coda of 'Time' for example. But that's not to say that there isn't a counterbalancing attention to detail and nuance to the recording and the production – the way the panning opens up the second half of 'The Black Glove/Rag' to create space for new interactions in the bread-and-butter arrangement, or the noisy implosion of 'Scissor Tongue' as it reaches its climax.

The way that Ty Segall and White Fence deliver the most indulgently fun facets of their garage-rock cores with such a pitch-perfect balance between spontaneity and craftsmanship is what elevates Hair from being a tossed off vanity project to an album which is more than worthy of being heard. Ty Segall and White Fence haven't reinvented themselves, nor have they revolutionised garage rock, but Hair stands as a welcome reminder of how enjoyable guitar and drum music can be both to play and to hear.

  • 7
    Russell Warfield's Score
Log-in to rate this record out of 10
Share on
   
Love DiS? Become a Patron of the site here »


LATEST


  • Why Music Journalism Matters in 2024


  • Drowned in Sound is back!


  • Drowned in Sound's 21 Favourite Albums of the Year: 2020


  • Drowned in Sound to return as a weekly newsletter


  • Lykke Li's Sadness Is A Blessing


  • Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alternative must sees



Left-arrow

Santigold

Master Of My Make-Believe

Mobback
83084
83090

Human Don't Be Angry

Human Don't Be Angry

Mobforward
Right-arrow


LATEST

    news


    Why Music Journalism Matters in 2024

  • 106145
  • news


    Drowned in Sound is back!

  • 106143

    news


    Drowned in Sound's 21 Favourite Albums of the Y...

  • 106141
  • news


    Drowned in Sound to return as a weekly newsletter

  • 106139

    Playlist


    Lykke Li's Sadness Is A Blessing

  • 106138
  • Festival Preview


    Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alterna...

  • 106137

    Interview


    A Different Kind Of Weird: dEUS on The Ideal Crash

  • 106136
  • Festival Review


    Way Out East: DiS Does Sharpe Festival 2019

  • 106135
MORE


    news


    The Neptune Music Prize 2016 - Vote Now

  • 103918
  • Takeover


    The Winner Takes It All

  • 50972

    Takeover


    10 Things To Not Expect Your Record Producer To...

  • 93724
  • review


    The Mars Volta - Deloused In The Comatorium

  • 4317

    review


    Sonic Youth - Nurse

  • 6044
  • feature


    New Emo Goth Danger? My Chemical Romance confro...

  • 89578

    feature


    DiS meets Justice

  • 27270
  • news


    Our Independent music filled alternative to New...

  • 104374
MORE

Drowned in Sound
  • DROWNED IN SOUND
  • HOME
  • SITE MAP
  • NEWS
  • IN DEPTH
  • IN PHOTOS
  • RECORDS
  • RECOMMENDED RECORDS
  • ALBUMS OF THE YEAR
  • FESTIVAL COVERAGE
  • COMMUNITY
  • MUSIC FORUM
  • SOCIAL BOARD
  • REPORT ERRORS
  • CONTACT US
  • JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
  • FOLLOW DiS
  • GOOGLE+
  • FACEBOOK
  • TWITTER
  • SHUFFLER
  • TUMBLR
  • YOUTUBE
  • RSS FEED
  • RSS EMAIL SUBSCRIBE
  • MISC
  • TERM OF USE
  • PRIVACY
  • ADVERTISING
  • OUR WIKIPEDIA
© 2000-2025 DROWNED IN SOUND