Rebels on a song : The Tribune India

Join Whatsapp Channel

Music zone Saurabh Chadha

Rebels on a song

Freedom’s Goblin, Ty Segall’s newest album, comes from the rocker whose influence comes from rock music legends like Black Sabbath and Alice Cooper.

Rebels on a song


Buoyant, fun and infectious

Freedom’s Goblin, Ty Segall’s newest album, comes from the rocker whose influence comes from rock music legends like Black Sabbath and Alice Cooper. Segall has always been an eclectic musician, adopting new styles with easiness and aplomb, but his tenth studio album sees him widening his horizon further. Featuring a whopping 19 songs, the album is Segall’s most ambitious album to date in terms of quantity, but what’s more striking is the consistently high quality of music that spans across its expansive 75-minute running time. The opener Fanny Dog is a breezy ode to Segall's beloved canine companion. Featuring a stirring horn section and a refined accompanying piano, the instruments help the album mark a good start to a pretty diverse album. From surprise hooks and choruses to jazzy synth-based instrumentals, this album has something for everyone. My Lady's On Fire undermines a classic rock mindset with bizarre production and Segall's quirky vocal lines, pulling it all together for a great rock song. The eerie bass groove on Despoiler of Cadaver will get your foot tapping while Ty's wife, Denee Segall, takes over the vocals in Meaning to drive this monster heavy rocker. Tracks like Cry Cry Cry and Rain showcase the mellower side of Ty, where Alta and 5 Ft Tall still possess that signature roughness. Fans of straightforward garage rock will enjoy Shoot You Up, a song reminiscent of Ghost from 2012’s Twins. However, as the album gets progressively psychedelic and experimental, Talkin’ 3 loses its direction. The surprising cover of British soul band Hot Chocolate’s Every 1’s A Winner is a complete standout, which also features Fred Armisen on drums. While Segall’s rock influences are prominent, he polished them with his personal sound to create tracks that feel both fresh and nostalgic.

Essential track: Fanny Dog, Rain, Meaning, Talkin’ 3, Alta

Rating ****


A solid collection of art pop

Field Music — Open Here (Memphis Industries)

David and Peter Brewis have built a highly remarkable body of work since the release of their debut album, Field Music, in 2005. Their latest offering finds the creative duo achieving greater heights of artfully built indie pop. Often seen merging different influences and drawing from diverse genres, the duo grew to be innovators of their own kind. If Plumb was their breakthrough record and Commontime was pop galore, then this one sees the band take a turn into denser music. With strings, horns, flutes, vocal harmonies and complex rhythms all painstakingly arranged, Open Here sounds stunning at precisely every level. Count It Up is full blunt political lyrics and dance floor fillers. The duo packages some clever words here. The title track, filled with flute accompaniments, is backed by an Eleanor Rigby-like string section.

Essential track: Share a Pillow, Goodbye To The Country, Find a Way To Keep Me, Daylight Saving 

Rating ***


A brew of experimental jazz and progressive rock

James Holden & The Animal Spirits — The Animal Spirits (Border Community)

James Holden is an Oxford University maths graduate-turned-DJ, producer and synth wizard who made it big with a rightfully intellectual variety of Aphex Twin-inspired rave music. After announcing in 2013 that he'd given up remixing, Holden released his last long player, The Inheritors. That album gave a pretty clear picture of where he was headed. Recorded live in single takes, the recurring patterns made by Holden's self-built modular synths are polished by brass and woodwind, while the progressive software follows the complex stream of drummer Tom Page. The Neverending with its brilliant moments and dazzling saxophone will take you to a variety of unexplored places, while the diverse sounds in The Beginning & The End Of The World and the drive of Each Moment Like The First will leave your mind wandering. The title track is a thundering roar with an unsteady synth and accompanying saxophone, reaching an organic dance territory with artists like Brandt Brauer Frick taking the lead. Holden's Middle Eastern/North African inspirations are visible on the Thunder Moon Gathering, where organs and brass unite into a freeform melody, and the closing track, Go Gladly Into the Earth, which showcases upside-down organ playing of Ethiopia’s Hailu Mergia.

Essential track:  Each Moment Like The First, Thunder Moon Gathering & End Of The World 

Rating ***


Miguel has arrived

Miguel — War & Leisure (RCA)

Since his debut in 2007, Miguel has blossomed into one of the most rebellious acts in popular R&B. War & Leisure features a far more confident Miguel who infuses vibrant music with dissident references to political turmoil. Miguel has collaborated with some of hip-hop’s more relevant names. Rick Ross joins him on opener Criminal, where the rapper juggles with sultry croon and robust rap. Travis Scott is one of the key collaborators who helps bring the album to focus in the lead single Sky Walker, while Kali Uchis offers her vocals on Caramelo Duro. To address current issues in more detail, Miguel enlists rapper J. Cole on the track Come Through and Chill. Underneath the evocative political subjects in War & Leisure, there lies a layer of personal struggle that Miguel explores at various emotional levels, from towering delight on Pineapple Skies to self-realisation in City of Angels. 

Essential track:  Criminal, Harem, City of Angels, Now 

Rating ****


Top 10 Singles

God’s Plan Drake (CU)

Perfect Ed Sheeran (CU)

Finesse Bruno Mars & Cardi B (NM)

Havana Camilla Cabello feat. Young Thug (FD)

Rockstar Post Malone feat. 21 Savage (FD)

New Rules Dua Lipa (CU)

Bad At Love Halsey (FD)

Pray For Me The Weeknd & Kendrick Lamar (NE)

Stir Fry Migos (CU)

Meant To Be Bebe Rexha & The Florida Georgia Line (NM)

Legend: CU): Climbing Up    (FD): Falling Down    (NM): Non-mover  (NE): New Entry 

Top News

Delhi High Court dismisses PIL to remove Arvind Kejriwal from CM post after arrest

Delhi High Court dismisses PIL to remove Arvind Kejriwal from CM post after arrest

The bench refuses to comment on merits of the issue, saying ...

US makes another remark on Kejriwal's arrest, reacts to freezing of Congress bank accounts

US makes another remark on Arvind Kejriwal's arrest, reacts to freezing of Congress bank accounts

We encourage fair, transparent and timely legal processes, s...

Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, wife Gurpreet Kaur welcome baby girl

Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann blessed with baby girl

Bhagwant Mann tied the knot with Dr Gurpreet Kaur from Pehow...


Cities

View All