Reverse Shark Attack & Show # 448

 

“Life is a shotgun/It’s just gonna blow you away” is one of the lyrics in the title and final track on Ty Segall & Mikal Cronin’s album Reverse Shark Attack, the lyrics couldn’t be more potent and relevant to this album as a whole. The album was originally released in 2009 on the Kill Shaman record label on vinyl only. Reverse Shark Attack serves as a collaboration between two long time friends from Laguna Beach, California Ty Segall and Mikal Cronin. The two had previously been in numerous other bands before this point in 2009, Ty in The Epsilons, The Traditional Fools, Sic Alps, Mikal in Okie Dokie, The Moonhearts, Party Fowl they have both also recorded as solo artists. Mikal is also a member of Ty Segall’s live touring band the Ty Segall Band, playing bass and supplying back up vocals. The album is a mix of distorted lo-fi Garage, Psychedelic and Surf Rock influences, it also is overloaded with reverb drenched effects.

“I Wear Black” is the opener to this release, it is a short and powerful Garage/Stooges/Troggs influenced track with reverb drenched distorted vocals, guitars and feedback. It is executed in a way that is both lo-fi, yet psychedelic at the same time in terms of the effects. The next set of songs are short fast blasts of Rock and Roll with vocal harmonies such as “Drop Dead Baby”, “High School” which reflects a Garage Punk dynamic, and “Ramona” which is a drum heavy hyper Ramones influenced track,. “Bikini Babes” comes in as the third last track which switches up the pace on this sun baked, reverb filled album. “Take up Ty Stethoscope And Walk” is an almost note for note cover of the song of the same name from Pink Floyd’ Piper At The Gates of Dawn with added distortion of course. This Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd track is an indication of where their Psychedelic influences come from, which has been later explored by both artists. Ty recently explored his Psychedelic influences in more detail on his collaboration with White Fence entitled Hair and also on his Goodbye Bread release in 2011.

The album ends with the ten minute opus “Reverse Shark Attack”, which when this album was originally released filled side B of the vinyl. The song is a mix of Beatles-esque Pop, Folk, Psychedelics, Garage and Surf all in one. As we reach the ending of the song it ends out in a distorted Surfy, Dick Dale sounding transmission. Lyrically the song tells a peculiar love story of sorts in which the narrator proclaims his love for someone, not wanting to ever let them go. But as she goes for a walk one day to clear her head on the beach, she never comes back. Assuming that she was attacked by a shark the narrator plots his revenge on the sharks for taking this love away from him, a reverse shark attack if you will. This is how the album ends, the lyrics “Life is a shotgun/It’s just gonna blow you away” come back to mind. When listening to this track that lyric with it’s loaded double meaning makes you think. With its ability to switch genres so seamlessly, this song is evidence of the developmental talent that both Ty Segall and Mikal Cronin possess.

When Reverse Shark Attack was originally released in 2009, it was put out on limited edition vinyl and it sold out very quickly. In The Red re-issued this album in January of 2013 along with another previous Ty Segall band/collaboration from his prolific past The Traditional Fools, a Surf/Garage group. Reverse Shark Attack proves to be a collaboration of two hyper prolific artists, this album sounds as if it were created after sitting in the sun too long resulting in a shambolic, yet fresh sounding collection of songs combining both Ty Segall and Mikal Cronin’s musical influences. Reverse Shark Attack grabs a hold of the listener and doesn’t let go even though its been four years since its original release. 

 

This Week's Play List:

1. Sam Coffey and The Iron Lungs – Have A 100
2. The Coastliners – I’ll Be Gone
3. Jan & Dean – Horace The Swinging School Bus Driver
4. The Reply – Better You
5. The Waldos – Busted
6. Alex Chilton – Just To See You
7. Steak House Mints – Don’t Mess With Me
8. Shotgun Jimmie – Growing Like A Garden
9. Wire – Love Bends
10. Boats – O Telescope
11. Papermaps – You Are My Gallows
12. The Evens – Sooner Or Later
13. Vice Creems – Won’t You Be My Girl
14. The Sonics – Maintaining My Cool
15. The Scenics – No Sleep
16. Travel Check – Tripping Waves
17. Carbonas – Butcher
18. The Adverts – Back From The Dead (BBC Session)
19. UK Subs – Tomorrow’s Girls (Single Version)
20. Undertones – Get Over You
21. Buzzcocks – I Don’t Mind
22. Paul Jacobs – Being Yourself
23. Paul Jacobs – Wrong Medication
24. Ty Segall & Mikal Cronin – High School
25. Ty Segall & Mikal Cronin – I Wear Black

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for March 19. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.