Billboard Feature

MUSIC ARTIST: Ty Segall ALBUM: Sleeper LABEL: Drag City RELEASE DATE: Aug. $" MANAGEMENT: Michelle Cable PRODUCER: self-produced PUBLISHING: Domino Publishing ST. PAUL AND THE BROKEN BONES BOOKING AGENT: Michelle Soul-revivalist six-piece St. Cable, Panache Paul and the Broken Bones, CHART HISTORY: Twins %$"&$', from Birmingham, Ala., is on No. ! Heatseekers Albums, a mission—literally. Singer &()"""; Slaughterhouse Paul Janeway trained to be a %$"&$', No. * Heatseekers preacher, and his voice deliv- Albums, &+)""" ers a torrent of unfettered emotions, like Otis Redding TWITTER: @tysegall and Aretha Franklin before him. “I think that’s what soul music does—it cuts through the bullshit and gets to the core,” Janeway says. And his band’s congregation is rapidly growing. NPR and Paste magazine have praised of 2013, and that new album Sleeper, out Aug. 20 on I got it out in that way because I don’t want to be the the group, and it opened for ROCK Drag City, is considerably more mellow and re#ective kind of guy that deals with things in a self-destructive John Mayer and played the kicko# party for the Hangout than almost anything in his catalog to date, might sug- way. I’ve done that in the past.” Festival in Gulf Shores, gest to some that Segall has grown weary of punishing While channeling his inner tempest into song, Segall Ala.—all before reaching punk rock and settled into a more serious and sustain- turned to ’60s acoustic folk heroes like Bert Jansch, its one-year anniversary or Punk Takes releasing an album. “I’ve able version of himself. He insists that’s not the case. John Fahey and Donovan. He keyed into the way they never been involved with a “The stu" I’m working on now is super loud and ag- boiled everything down to guitar and voice and says he project that’s taken o# this gressive again, so it’s weird,” Segall says of the record- challenged himself to do the same, wanting to leave quickly, and I’m going on my A Pause 22nd year in the business,” ings he’s done since !nishing Sleeper in March. “But “nothing to hide behind.” says manager Traci Thomas Ultra-prolific rocker Ty Segall when I was making this album I couldn’t have written a Rian Murphy, who heads Drag City Records, says he of marketing/distribution/ loud, heavy song if somebody had paid me to. I tried— embraced Segall’s decision to follow his muse into un- management ﬁrm Thirty Ti- goes acoustic, slows rollout gers. “If you have music that it just wasn’t working.” charted territory. “We know that Ty’s capable of a lot people respond to, you can for ‘Sleeper’ Eight months ago, around Twins’ release, Segall’s of di"erent things, and for us that’s exciting,” he says. get out there and play,” notes adoptive father died after a long battle with tongue can- “We started hearing from him while he was making By Reggie Ugwu cer. Segall and his dad were close—Dad got him hooked the record and we were just knocked out by how di"er- on sur!ng when he was 9—and the impact of his death ent a listening experience it was from Twins.” was compounded by a rift it caused in his immediate To capitalize on the singular nature of Sleeper within family. Though he’s reluctant to be speci!c, Segall says the Segall oeuvre, Drag City is planning a series of in- Ty Segall isn’t slowing down, he just needs a moment. “awful stu"” happened between him and his mother timate small-venue shows, in-stores and radio sessions It’s been eight months since the 26-year-old Califor- after the death and the two are no longer speaking. around its release, a departure from the mosh-friendly nia garage rocker last released an album of new mate- Sleeper, a disarmingly assured slab of psychedelic punk spaces Segall has played in the past. The artist has Ben Tanner, keyboardist of rial, a mere calendar blip for most artists, but ages for folk, !nds Segall confronting loss and loneliness head- assembled a new, all-acoustic band for the project that the Alabama Shakes and pro- Segall, who has put out more than a dozen LPs and on. He recorded and played all the instruments by him- will tour the United States in August and September ducer of St. Paul’s upcoming debut, Half the City. Although many more EPs and singles since forming his !rst self, save for strings provided by friend and frequent before making a brief stop in Europe. a deal has yet to be ﬁnalized, band in 2006. Last year, in what has become basically collaborator Dillon Watson. In another departure, Drag City has opted not to the album is tentatively indie rock folklore, he released three albums with “A lot of those songs are kind of me dealing with a lot release any singles or videos in advance of the album, scheduled for an early-2014 release on Single Lock Re- three di"erent out!ts—Slaughterhouse by Ty Segall of awful things that culminated when my dad passed forcing audiences to consider the project as a full body cords (owned by Tanner, John Band, Hair by Ty Segall & White Fence and Twins by away,” he says. “The whole record’s really about that, of work. “In this day and age, a lot of people don’t ex- Paul White of the Civil Wars Ty Segall. So the fact that he’s stayed quiet for most to be honest. I was very angry, very upset, and I’m glad pect an album. They expect a series of songs,” Murphy and Will Trapp). “I just wanna go around the country, maybe says. “What we have here is a whole journey that goes even across the pond, and from beginning to end, and that’s an important distinc- play shows,” Janeway says. tion to make.” “Bring everybody to church.” —Jeanne Fury “When I was making this album I couldn’t As for whether the new mellow, acoustic Segall will resurface on any of his next dozen records, the artist have written a loud, heavy song if makes no promises. “I don’t really have a plan for that kind of thing, but I do tend to move on to the next idea somebody had paid me to.” !TY SEGALL pretty fast,” he says. “I don’t like to sit around.” DJ Manolo, Williamstown, Tiësto featuring Kyler Tom Colontonio featuring N.J. ! Faced Funks & Zoe England, “Take Me” William Barry, “In the Air.” Badwi, “My Way With You.” "Extended Edit#. I commend This amazing, currently This one is a creeper, and it Tijs for evolving from his mid- unsigned song has all the will grow on you. Sexy female ’!"s sound, but I haven’t been ingredients to be a massive vocals with a thick bassline a fan of some of his recent track: crisp, smooth male and simple yet very effective material. However, I was vocals with beautiful piano synth lines that work perfectly happily surprised by this one. lines and lush melodies that with the arrangement. Catchy vocal hooks, really nice will have clubbers running to melodic touches with driving, the DJ booth. but not overly done, synth lines. OF COURTESY AND ALLORADORA: DISA NABIL THE PAUL RECORDS; TIËSTO: ELDERKIN; OF BROKEN COURTESY MONOLO: MONOLO DJ DJ BONES: SEGALL: SABRYE DENEE PHOTOGRAPHY; ST. PETRACEK; 48 BILLBOARD | JULY 27, 2013.

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