Fuzz – Fuzz (4/5)
When was the last time you heard a drum solo on a new
album? Think about it. Drum solos have long been relegated to the
realm of live albums from 70s rock gods like Led Zeppelin or of overreaching
prog bombast from the likes of Rush. Well,
on Fuzz’s debut self-titled album a drum solo appears a little over three
minutes into their song “Loose Sutures.”
But more surprising than the inclusion of a drum solo in an album
released in 2013 is the fact that I didn’t immediately recoil. Like many, I’ve long accepted notions of
musical aesthetics that decried bombast for its own sake. If anything, Fuzz’s debut could convince a
new generation of musicians and listeners that it’s time to reassess what we
value in modern rock and roll.
While I may be overstating my case somewhat—after all, bands
like Queens of the Stone Age, Comets on Fire,
Woods, and The Black Angels all borrow from classic rock radio—there’s still
something invigorating about hearing Fuzz’s unabashed instrumental
noodling. And if anyone can make us
rethink what’s currently fashionable in rock music, it’s probably Ty Segall,
the incredibly prolific artist who not only produces his own albums at
breakneck speeds, but also seems content to collaborate with whoever is willing
to pick up an instrument and play. The
songs on Fuzz give you the sense that
they morphed out of epic basement jam sessions.
But what saves these songs from accusations of excess is the fact that
musicianship always serves the songs.
“Sleigh Ride” contains a hook that continually whips the song forward to
its conclusion, and album opener “Earthen Gate” evolves from the primordial goo
of its opening into a fully formed rock riff.
Perhaps the key to Fuzz’s success is that, despite the call
backs to early 70s proto-metal, it also doesn’t pretend that the last forty
years of music hasn’t happened. With a
little tweaking the shortest song on the album, “Preacher,” could be
transformed into a bona fide punk shredder.
And unlike most rock music from the 70s that were looking for bigger and
better studio sounds, Fuzz has a
distinct lo-fi element. In a sense, Fuzz
might best be viewed as another variation on the sound of Seattle grunge whose
members like Mudhoney and Soundgarden seemed perfectly happy to break down
barriers between classic rock and punk.
Whatever ingredients were used to concoct Fuzz’s curious brew, the results
are undeniably engaging.
