Harmonizer

Ty Segall’s turn toward synths isn’t as dramatic a renovation as it sounds. If anything, the revelation of Harmonizer is that his writing is distinctive enough that you could recognize him in just about any costume: hooky, direct, and psychedelic, but with just enough of a hint of horror-movie eeriness to keep you unsettled. And as different as garage rock might seem from the minimal gleam of the music here (the loose and organic versus the mechanical and impassive), the connection lies in science-fictive questions of what makes us human in the first place: Our freedoms? Our routines? Our wildest impulses, or our ability to control them? The historical touchpoints remain familiar: T. Rex (“Pictures”), early King Crimson (“Whisper,” “Erased”), the queasy soundtracks of Italian giallo movies (“Ride”), mixed with both inspiration and historical precision. And if you miss the shredding, just remember that the hum of the fridge at night is plenty psychedelic if you listen deeply enough.