The main talking point behindManipulatoris the difference in making this album compared to Ty Segall’s others. It took the longest time to make, he used a proper studio, did multiple takes. He even incorporated a string section.
Was this added professionalism to Segall’s approach worth it? Yes and no. The album easily has the best sound of any Segall album. And with its relative sprawl (17 tracks over 55 minutes), the album acts as an ideal starting point for Segall curios, incorporating elements of all of his past successes – the sludge of Slaughterhouse, the introspection of Sleeper and everything in between.
But the advances on this album aren’t that remarkable compared to his other work, and if he hadn’t slaved away on these 17 tracks, we might have had four more albums by him now. Still, there’s not much reason to grumble. As with his other albums, the album acts like a children of the Children Of Nuggets sampler, each track being its own little perfect psychedelic gift to the world, be it the anthemic notions of ‘The Singer’, or the 12-string chase scene of ‘The Clock’.
So for all the hullabaloo, it’s basically just another Ty Segall album filled with great tracks. But there are more of them this time, so this one’s better.
4/5.
