It is late November, which means it’s ever so tempting to begin looking ahead and doing a surface scan of the intriguing swath of releases slated for 2019. And I don’t mean deep in 2019, but early – first month or so – 2019. But, you know, that 2019 list is, in all honesty, an impressively staggering one that I will get to in the coming week or weeks, as I see fit.
I will admit that I momentarily peered at that list, in order to clear up the “still slated to release” records that have still have no firm 2018 release date, even with just over a couple months left in the year. It is very possible that these artists, along with the suggestion from label and/or management, won’t admit that for some arcane, mind-effing reason, they’ve settled on a 2019 release date and slipped that little nugget of information into their back pocket, much to the chagrin of the mildly voracious, overzealous, and impatient fans and pseudo-critics that are often (some)times the same person.
I’m looking at you, Kevin Shields and My Bloody Valentine, in addition to founding Wu Tang Clan member GZA. Quit playing with my emotions. Please and thank you.
Now, that said, there has been some very interesting releases the last couple few weeks. The exceptionally prolific garage punk rock and roller Ty Segall released his fifth (yes, FIFTH) album of 2018. “Fudge Sandwich” is an 11-track collection of covers featuring Segall’s take on songs by War, Funkadelic, John Lennon, Neil Young, Grateful Dead, Amon Düül II, and a handful of others. If putting out his own albums isn’t enough to impress you, perhaps you should know that Segall also released “Shampoo You,” the third LP from Axis: Sova via his Drag City subsidiary imprint God? Records. The Chicago-based trio, with Tim Kaiser, Jeremy Freeze, and Brett Sova, have made an album of power garage pop psychedelia that was heavily inspired by new wave. It’s an interesting take on all those genres in a smart, cohesive full length, and I’ve found each track more enjoyable than the last, which suggests to me that thoughtful consideration was given to track order and flow. That sort of attention to detail is often lost in the era of one-off singles. Play this one on repeat.
“Shampoo You” is available now on Drag City/God? Records as a digital download (your choice of high quality MP3, FLAC and more), on compact disc, on cassette tape, and on vinyl in the standard black colorway.
Recommended for fans of Ty Segall, Hawkwind, The Stooges, White Fence, Purling Hiss, Wand and Cave.
Jon E. Lynch[email protected]
