Music Review: Virtuosic guitarist Ty Segall finds a new sweet spot on his laid-back 'Possession'

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Much of the virtuosic guitarist Ty Segall’s prolific career has been characterized by a sludgy, almost primal, intensity. But his 16th LP crystalizes a new, less-aggressive era for the indie rocker, as he trades in his additive synths for strings and horns — all while maintaining his singular garage-psych.

“Possession” isn’t Segall’s first album to reel in his trademark heaviness. Following the release of his 2021 record “Harmonizer” — the apex of a Black Sabbath-inspired, electronics-assisted sound he had for years — the singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist has mellowed out and gone more analog in the myriad solo projects he’s released since.

There was his 2022 mostly acoustic album, “Hello, Hi,” as well as his instrumental “Love Rudiments,” an avant-garde, percussion-focused record, which he dropped less than a year ago. But with “Possession,” Segall seems to have found a kind of sweet spot that balances force with restraint in this new phase of his discography.

His signature psychedelic sound and distorted guitar solos are still there, like in “Shining” and the album’s title track. But the songs are also subdued and refined, with a surprising arrangement of strings and horns on songs like “Skirts of Heaven” and “Shoplifter.”

Despite that addition of new instruments, there’s a kind of back-to-basics sound to the record, bringing to mind the soulful, easy-listening rock bands of the ‘70s like Cheap Trick and Steely Dan.

This album also marks a lyrical shift, thanks in part to the fact that he co-wrote it with his longtime friend, documentary filmmaker Matt Yoka. He brings a clear narrative framework to Segall’s poetic, sometimes opaque, writing style.

“Neighbors’ daughter sentenced dead / her toes directed downward / The washer woman a victim too / the village’s obsession,” Segall croons of witch trials on “Possession,” the only song on the album which Yoka wrote solo.

That emphasis on storytelling also brings a kind of depth to the songs, which often wade into poignant themes like, mortality and success, topics not often overtly broached on Segall’s previous records.

“What you gonna do when the money’s gone / And everyone you know is dead,” Segall sings on “Fantastic Tomb.” “When you’re standing naked on the lawn / You think about the life you led.”

And while he brings in highbrow instruments like cellos, pianos and trumpets, there is plenty of discordance. It matches the existential dread of songs like “Buildings” and “Alive.” And yet, the album maintains a kind of laid-back sensibility in comparison to much of Segall’s earlier work.

Last year while promoting his 14th solo LP, “Three Bells,” Segall told The Associated Press that he was trying to be less prolific. He’s since recorded an album under a new band with Color Green’s Corey Madden, Freckle, as well as two more solo LP’s, including “Possession.”

Segall’s failed resolution is to the benefit of his fans, even as he pushes himself into creative directions he’s yet to go before.

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