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I’ve been digging the melodic bramble of Ty Segall for awhile now, and fortunately the guy’s been playing all over town this week — so much so he couldn’t remember all of his remaining gigs when talking to the crowd at Brooklyn Vegan’s daytime party at Public Assembly on Friday. Segall was the sixth of 14 bands playing at the blog’s free show, and it was only 2 o’clock. Pulling songs from his repertoire like “Standing at the Station” and “My Sunshine,” Ty struck a perfect balance between noisy abandon and tight acumen. This was in no small part due to his band, in particular Emily Rose Epstein’s awesome drumming. Though wrapped in fuzz and squawk, each of Segall’s songs feature penetrating hooks, and it was impossible not to love his every utterance. (I’ll be going back for more today.)

The large number of bands at the BV party was split between Public Assembly’s two stages, with sets overlapping. With free Magic Hat Number Nine (somehow apricot-flavored beer seemed like a suitable substitute for breakfast), both sides of the club were filling rapidly. So while I caught a minute or two of Lower Dens’ vespered melodies, I wasn’t about to miss Times New Viking (pictured). The Columbus trio recently wrapped up work on a new record (due out on Matador sometime in the near future) and this was to be the first time I would hear the new stuff. Though the band was by their own admission still tired from the night before, their set didn’t show it, with the buoyancy of songs like “Skull Versus Wizard” and “Teenage Lust!” undiminished. The new tracks, which showed the most prominent melodies TNV has composed yet, fit in alongside the older cuts. Though I’ve now lost count of how many times I’ve seen the band, I’m always struck by how they remain too anxious to stay in one sonic realm for long, their quick succession of albums marked by continual revision.

CMJ buzz-band (and recent Astralwerks signing) DOM followed soon after, but even the buzz I had going wasn’t enough to stomach these Johnny-come-latelys’ sugary blend of punk- and electro-pop. Hence, it was home for some R&R before heading out for the night, which aside from an attempt at getting into the Tee Pee showcase (they were at capacity), ended up at the Knitting Factory once more. (It’s looking like the destination for Saturday too.) There I was treated to an energetic and engaging set from Title Tracks. The D.C. three-piece played songs from a new album, supposedly due out any day now, and reminded me of a cross between XTC and Ted Leo, with bouncy melodies and a bounty of vigor. Gentleman Jesse and His Men (pictured), an Atlanta quintet that followed, had a similar cadence, though more reminiscent of a revved-up Big Star and power-pop of subsequent eras. Here too was nothing to dislike — just great Rickenbackered riffs, well-done harmonies and plenty of gusto. The same can’t be said of Coolrunnings, the sweatered four-piece that went on next. Here the scourge that is the influence of Vampire Weekend came to a head. Rhythms played to a click-track, dinky guitar nodes and grating vocals all made for the aural equivalent of jello — sweet, limpid and completely unappetizing. I exited quickly, the allure of sleep now all the more strong.

Fuente: LimeWire Music Blog