Lemons

Recorded with no-frills panache, 2009’s *Lemons* is Ty Segall’s second album of punked-up garage nuggets and soft-sung, close-quarters rambles. But despite no song cracking the three-minute mark, the lo-fi Californian makes a lasting impression. The otherwise primitive “Standing At the Station” relishes deliciously twangy guitar tangents, while “Rusted Dust” dials back the distortion to lay bare a gorgeously vulnerable ballad. Of course, said distortion soon comes roaring back for a particularly woolly cover of Captain Beefheart’s “Drop Out Boogie.”

Burying '60s sing-alongs and dance crazes beneath waves of reverb and giddy thud, Ty Segall has carved out his own shelf in the SF neopsych garage alongside SF compatriots and collaborators Sic Alps and Thee Oh Sees. After shattering the Bay Area underground as a frantic one-man-band that was devoured by the local press, Segall has now given up the solo act for a three piece that destroys sonic and melodic boundaries with manic glee. The new live setup is a better reflection of his studio work which generally starts with his one-man-band setup and builds from there. As an exploration of the space between Cro-Magnon fuzz and atmospheric acoustic psych, Lemons is the natural next step after his celebrated self-titled 2008 debut on Castle Face.

Sophomore release on Goner records builds confidently on the experimental, 1960s-inspired lo-fi rock of last year's self-titled debut.

Former Epsilons singer and guitarist Ty Segall turns down the tempo a bit but doesn't dial back the intensity on his first solo album.