There was always a real risk that at some point Ty Segall was gonna go all furry freak brother on us and just unleash a record that dripped with acid rock goodness. Yeah, well, he's done just that. II is the new record by Fuzz and it's out on Friday via In The Red. It's a blast and I'm here to hip you to its charms.
If previously a Ty Segall project meant straddling the line between a certain appreciation for melodies worthy of the Beatles generation of pop-sters and fuzzed out rawk, then II and its tunes have altogether jettisoned the first part of that balancing act and gone over to the other side of just head-nodding, hair-thrashing goodness. To put it simply, II delivers the goods.
The colossal and wild opener of "Time Collapse pt. II/The 7th Terror" gives way to the more straightforward Sabbath-isms of "Rat Race", one of the highlights of this album. If most of the tracks on II are bludgeoning in their approach -- a trait I appreciate, by the way -- then "Pollinate" nods its long-haired head in the direction of some of Ty Segall's recent indie gems with more tunefulness than one might expect from this new act.
The styles are more varied on the second half of this album with "Say Hello" offering Ty Segall a chance to show off his skills on the drum-kit. The lead singer and drummer of Fuzz shines here in both roles. By the time we get to "Red Flag" the band is ready to try its hand at straight-ahead hardcore punk with some pretty solid results.
"Sleestak" changes up the style with something more trippy while keyboard riffs anchor "Silent Sits the Dust Bowl" admirably. II closes on the epic title track which lets Charles Moothart (guitar) and Chad Ubovich (bass) join drummer/frontman Ty Segall in just letting loose and going full tilt gonzo.
II by Fuzz is a fun listen for the most part. It might be a diversion for Ty Segall from his other projects but it's a cool one nonetheless. Largely given over to wild fuzzed out near-jams, the cuts here are in some ways not as memorable as some of those on other Ty Segall records but they are immediately gratifying in other ways.
II by Fuzz is out on Friday via In The Red Records. You can follow Fuzz via the band's official Facebook page.