MELTED

Audio Mixers: Ty Segall; Mike Donovan ; Eric Landmark; King Riff. Recording information: Bauer Mansion, San Francisco (08/2009-12/2009). Photographer: Denee Petracek. Someone must have dropped some acid into Ty Segall's lo-fi garage rock beverage, since his third solo effort, Melted, sounds noticeably noisier, trippier, and more damaged than his previous efforts. Segall's feel for a simple, sturdy melody hasn't escaped him, but the tunes often drift in and out of clouds of sound effects, percussive jams, guitar feedback, or keyboard drones, and a warm layer of pushed-to-the-red distortion surrounds most of the drums and instrumental tracks. The result isn't quite face-melting, but it certainly hits harder and with more lysergic force than Segall's first two post-Epsilons efforts, though that's not to say the man has lost touch with his sense of dynamics; "Bees" is a midtempo number that generates a quiet intensity around Segall's slurred vocal, and "Caesar" is an engagingly hooky pop song delivered with a commendable swagger. But righteous freak-outs like "Girlfriend," "My Sunshine," and "Mike D.'s Coke" set the tone for this album, and for the most part, this messed-up world view seems to suit him and his music quite nicely. The psychedelic touches give the noisy aspects of Segall's music greater weight and purpose, and the sonic manipulation helps sculpt the melodies in fresh and compelling ways. It's not as if any of this breaks new stylistic ground (in fact, it bears no small resemblance to his pals and sometimes collaborators Thee Oh Sees), but it sure sounds like Segall is having fun, and it brings some additional heat and spice to his rich brew of sound. Tune in, turn on, and get Melted -- you'll enjoy it . ~ Mark Deming