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May 08, 2019 Web Exclusive By Jordan J. Michael

Unanimously, the music press loves Ty Segall, and writes about him with frequent admiration. It is difficult to say anything new about Segall and his relentless crew after 11 years of enjoyable rock ‘n’ roll releases (too many to count, really). But we’ll say this: Segall has a free, fun, and infectious spirit that always comes out through his music.

Now, Segall fans get a proper live album to bask in further glory. In modern rock, Ty Segall & Freedom Band might have the most righteous and controlled show going. Deforming Lobes sprouted from double-album Freedom’s Goblin (January 2018), and the tour of heroics that followed. If the title Defroming Lobes could be defined as distorting something that is round or flat, how does that pertain to these eight live cuts of Segall classics?

Segall’s original studio versions of the live Steve Albini recorded takes here (all analog) are definitely rounded, but are not flat. Deforming Lobes is a curious alteration that puts a special piece into Segall’s bottomless catalog. Mikal Cronin (bass), Charles Moothart (drums), Emmett Kelly (guitar), and Ben Boye (piano) have been sharing the stage with Segall since 2016, and their ferocious live jamming on Deforming Lobes takes these already merciless songs to new levels.

“Warm Hands,” as the third track on Ty Segall (January 2017) was already an amazing, 10-minute, can’t-help-but-air-guitar excursion that yields numerous spins. On Deforming Lobes, The Freedom Band seem to have the ability to take “Warm Hands” wherever it may go, and it is a wonder to where else this song has gone during other live sets. “Squealer” and “Breakfast Eggs,” two songs from Segall’s least pleasing album, Emotional Mugger (January 2016), get new life. With a grouchy voice and sadistic, entertaining yells, Segall can have our candy any day. “The Crawler” (Manipulator, 2014) needs a restart shortly after its Deforming Lobes beginning, but the band locks in immediately following Segall’s direction; I envision the crowd bobbing in unison. “Finger,” the Melted anthem that introduced Segall to the world in 2010, gets a mysterious live twist here. Originally a three-minute track, The Freedom Band stretch it an extra minute, and add some thunder. “They Told Me Too” (Twins, 2012) is a sprint, sounding very close to the studio take.

Sadly, there are no live reinterpretations of any songs from Goodbye Bread, arguably Segall’s best album. Nonetheless, Deforming Lobes is another Segall ride that takes another road in his endless adventuring of roads. Even San Francisco’s ridiculous, rising rent, which killed an entire garage rock revival scene years ago, couldn’t stop him; Segall doesn’t seem to be prone to containment. Eventually, he will run out of ideas, but probably not until his hands have arthritis. (www.ty-segall.com)

Author rating: 7/10