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[title]San Francisco has emerged as the stronghold for scuzzed-out garage-rock, thanks in large part to two scene luminaries: Thee Oh Sees and Ty Segall. Built around a love for the Seeds and the 13th Floor Elevators, the city’s cohesive sound has since expanded beyond a local movement and continues to evolve through its purveyors’ restless innovation and incessant output.
Through countless guises and iterations, Thee Oh Sees frontman John Dwyer spent the last 15 years cranking out records at a breakneck pace. But Dwyer recently pumped the brakes, using his time to explore the sonic possibilities of a legitimate recording studio. Having earned a rep as one of the most indomitable live acts around, the band has certainly earned the right to indulge in a bit of recording wizardry. With a newfound focus on melody and songcraft, Putrifiers II advances like a travelogue through Dwyer’s influences—from sun-bleached California punk and fuzzy psychedelics to droning Velvet Underground homages.
If Dwyer is the scene’s elder statesman, Ty Segall is its prodigal son. Having promised the release of three records in 2012, Segall will remain a man of his word when he drops his newest, Twins, next month. Following up June’s Fun House–indebted Slaughterhouse and April’s collaboration with White Fence, Hair, Segall closes out the year with an arsenal of strong releases—proving himself to be a true emerging talent. C’mon, Segall! Stop making the rest of us look like slackers.