The Week in Music: Paste’s Favorite Songs, Albums, Performances and More
Let's review: Ty Segall, Jeff Rosenstock, Vampire Weekend anniversary, and more
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This week at Paste, we ended January with an important indie rock anniversary, and a look back at the best albums of the month. In the studio, we welcomed Jeff Rosenstock, John Oates, and Zakk Wylde. We also looked ahead to February, with new tracks from Girlpool and more. Here’s the best of what we covered this past week.
BEST ALBUMS
Ty Segall: Freedom’s Goblin
At 19 tracks and 75-ish minutes long, [Freedom’s Goblin] is a sure-footed expedition through Segall’s sprawling world of influences and interests, from psych, garage rock, pop and punk to soul, hard funk, heavy metal and beyond. And somehow, despite the run time and the diversity of sounds, Freedom’s Goblin never wanders for long. It’s thrilling, through and through. — Ben Salmon
Read: Every Ty Segall Album, Ranked
EXEK: Ahead of Two Thoughts
EXEK is a post-punk band in the truest sense of the term, lurching through the shadows and knocking shit over and sneering at innocent passers-by. Where many of their Melbourne mates draw obvious inspiration from the charming jangle-pop that came out of nearby New Zealand in the 1980s, EXEK bypasses that scene and draws a straight line back to fellow Melbourners The Birthday Party. — Ben Salmon
They Might Be Giants: I Like Fun
I Like Fun rocks unabashedly. Guitar-heavy tunes like “All Time What,” “An Insult to the Fact Checkers” and “The Bright Side” are among the best late-period John Flansburgh songs in TMBG’s catalog. And when you flip through the album’s peaks, a common thread emerges. “Let’s Get This Over With” opens the album with a barrage of handclaps and piano. “I Left My Body” is a gentle collision of cascading verses and honeyed aaaaahs. “Push Back the Hands of Time” is a jittery dance-rock jam, and the vividly creepy “When the Lights Come On” is about as close to punk as these Johns get. — Ben Salmon
BEST SONGS
Cut Worms: “Til Tomorrow Goes Away”
“Till Tomorrow Goes” is a sweet, ‘60s-influenced, country-tinged pop song marked by Max Clarke’s lusciously harmonious lead vocals. The new track is in a similar vein as his recent EP with Clarke’s layered, Everly Brothers-esque vocals that melt hearts as he sings of innocent, romanticized narratives alongside an acoustic guitar and retro keyboards. — Lizzie Mano
Girlpool: “Picturesong”
Dev Hynes contributed backing vocals, keyboards, guitars and mixing on “Picturesong,” which is Girlpool’s first new material since the May 2017 release of their sophomore album, Powerplant. Hynes’ most recent album as Blood Orange was 2016’s Freetown Sound. — Scott Russell