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Guest DJ Ty Segall

"[Alice Cooper] trying to be as safe and commercial as possible [because] that record is still a record for the freaks," Ty Segall says of <em>Love It to Death</em>.
Denee Petracek
/
Courtesy of the artist
"[Alice Cooper] trying to be as safe and commercial as possible [because] that record is still a record for the freaks," Ty Segall says of Love It to Death.

On this week's episode of All Songs Considered, prolific fuzz-rock mastermind Ty Segall joins host Robin Hilton to share some of the music that shaped his new album Manipulator and a behind-the-scenes look into his recording process.

One mark of Ty Segall's short career has been his constant stream of releases. Because he records under his own name and with bands, it's hard to count, but since 2008 he's put out at least 18 albums. But he slowed way down to record Manipulator — nearly a full year has passed since he's put out an album.

"I've done a lot of other records that have been like, 'No plan. Just show up and do it,'" Segall says. The plan this time around: "I'm going to write songs for a year, and I'm not going to release them. And then I'm going to record them."

To put Manipulator to tape, he hunkered down at The Dock Studio in Sacramento with engineer Chris Woodhouse, who imposed strict perfectionist rules. "It was weird for me," Segall says. "I get impatient and I want to move on to the next project or something. It was kind of a test for me to focus," he says.

Alongside tracks from Manipulator, Ty plays Cream's "White Room" and Alice Cooper's "I'm Eighteen," which both helped him form his musical taste when he was young, and David Bowie's "She Shook Me Cold," a newfound favorite.

For a limited time, you can listen to the full Manipulator album through NPR Music's First Listen series.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.