Album Review: Ty Segall - Manipulator

San Fran psych rocker Segall’s latest is mostly a return to the electric guitar, following the acoustic sobriety that was last year’s Sleeper. This time he revisits 1970s hard rock but saves some room for a bit of Americana, with a good measure of psych to boot.

The quality is still surprising given his penchant for releasing an album a year (sometimes three) and it borders on the uncanny how raw and emotional the tracks remain. That said, Manipulator’s strength is in its feeling of spontaneity and unpredictability. At 17 tracks, it’s ambitious but lots of fun too.