FUZZ - FUZZ

FUZZ, allegedly named after the legendary Fuzz Face guitar pedal first issued in 1966 as worshipped by the likes of Hendrix, Townshend et al, are somewhat of a San Francisco supergroup - Ty Segall on drums, Charlie Moonhart on guitar, and bassist Roland Cosio. And their self-titled debut is a bit of a face-melter.

Throughout it there are hints of 60’s psych, classic rock, prog, metal, punk, grunge and even krautrock. Be it the Hendrix-esque solo on ‘One’, or the progressive 10/4 time signature of ‘Sleigh Ride’, it’s clear that these three San Francisco boys know their rock. Vocals on the album are shared between Segall and Moonhart, and the combination of raw power of the former and Lennon-esque beauty of the latter makes for a fantastic sound, especially when used together, such as on ‘Raise’.

There have been some rumblings amongst Segall’s followers about his move from guitar to drums; even as respected as Charlie Moonhart is among the same garage-punk scene could he come close to commanding the guitar in a comparable way? ‘FUZZ’ quickly destroys any hints of doubt. Just like Ty, he knows exactly what noise he wants his axe to make, and achieves it effortlessly - as best demonstrated on ‘Loose Sutres’. Initially it’s just a straight forward classic garage track; whiny vocals singing along to a killer riff with a nice guitar solo. However, about half way through things get a bit classic metal, and the three go nuts on their instruments, first together, then as solos. It’s fuzzy, loud, energetic and unapologetic.

This is a thirty-five minute blast of garage rock of the highest calibre. Consider all boxes ticked: carefree, angry, passionate, loud, relentless, and fun.