Fuzz, "Fuzz"

The band Fuzz is a trio -- Charlie Mootheart on guitar, Roland Cosio on bass, and the seemingly unstoppable Ty Segall on drums and lead vocals. They played Noise Pop and a few indie music festivals this year, and of course all eyes are on Ty, so they're already riding a big wave. But the hype is fully deserved, I think, because they're simply one of the best heavy bands going in California right now. All thrash and drive and reverb and of course, miles of shit-hot guitar shenanigans. It's a perfect formula, and their first full-length record is just pure rock glory. Fuzz gets weird and proggy at times, especially during side B, like on "Loose Sutures," embedded above, and on the instrumental closer, "One." For the rest of the record, it's just all straight-up monster riffs and a whole lotta fun. Ty's a great singer, belting it out from behind the kit. His trademark high-pitched vocals are a perfect match for this garage-psych stuff, which too often gets sunk by frontmen who lack that tasteful touch. I got this in the mail on Friday, and I've listened to it probably six times in the last three days. Yesterday is when it really started to sink in -- I was walking around jamming it on my headphones, waiting for the crosswalk light to change, and I started head-banging involuntarily. A girl walked by and laughed at me. Not mocking, but with a hint of recognition. I smiled back and fired off my best excuse: "Fuzz!" Get the vinyl -- the cover art deserves to be seen, and the wax is blue. Also, get the "Sunderberry Dream" single -- the B-side is a wicked cover of King Crimson's "21st Century Schizoid Man."