2014 was the year of Ty Segall. Between his excellent production work on albums like White Fence’s For The Recently Found Innocent, and shredding up a storm headlining festival spots including FYF, the Los Angeles–based garage-rock god found time to make his seventh full-length album as a solo artist. And we are so glad that he did.
With seventeen tracks and clocking at a smidge under an hour, Manipulator is Segall’s longest LP yet, but the album doesn’t feel labored at all. The result is effortless and exciting, an unbeatable psychedelic glam-rock masterpiece. From the one-two opening punch of the album’s organ-heavy title track and the unbelievably fun to sing “Tall Man Skinny Lady,” to the mesmerizing serenade of “The Singer,” Manipulator showcases Segall’s talents as a talented songwriter and an excellent musician—he nearly playing every single instrument on the record. In each of the tracks of this double album, you can hear the underlying influences of David Bowie, T. Rex, and Iggy Pop, but on top of that ’70s sound is an energetic drive that comes from Segall’s unending well of creativity. Within a year full of glam-rock and psych-garage revivals, Segall’s latest stands above the crowd due to his acute attention to detail, and his immense knowledge and appreciation of the history of rock and roll. Someone pass the glittery eye-shadow. —Bailey Pennick
