Complicated and beautiful

Ty Segall writes songs that are deeply personal yet oblique, as if he’s transcribing his dreams, or soundtracking the emotional resonances that he wakes up with. Many of his songs, even the fuzz-drenched, deafeningly noisy ones, give the impression of dwelling inside of the singer, where it’s quiet. Asked recently what he’d do if he weren’t playing music, Segall responded, “I would go back to school and study philosophy.” (He added, “and not be able to get a job.”) That makes sense to me. Segall...