Live Session EP

admin — Fri, 15 May 2009 23:33:00 +0000

You either have that friend, or are that friend: the friend who tells people about obscure artists that seem weird or off-putting, but always become familiar with time. These bands usually rise from unknown to an only quasi-obscure status within about six months of your introduction, making your friend appear to have some magical intuition or inside information. For me, that friend is Israel.

We were in Israel’s green Subaru in Lincoln, Nebraska when I first heard the child-like Japanese/English ramblings of a mystery band, and I asked who it was. He said it was Deerhoof.

Drums are thrashing, guitars are humming and squealing, Satomi Matsuzaki is singing like a six-year-old in the bath. From the Live Session EP, the fifth song, "Basketball, Get Your Groove Back," seems like the zenith of the album’s fitful and fanciful lyrics. Reminiscent of stumbling into an Asian clothing store to find t-shirts that exclaim, “I’m If!” or “Boy girl smile love,” Satomi’s insistent and staccato, “Basketball, basketball, basket--b-ball, b-ball, b-ball/Escape!/Bunny jump, bunny jump, bunny, bunny, bunny jump” is both funny and awkwardly endearing.

While many of the compositions give a sense of being erratic, and jerk like a rusty skeleton, they hold a mysterious and driving beat that makes them incredibly catchy nevertheless. A great set of six songs to flail, clean, or mutter incoherently along with, Deerhoof’s Live Session EP is oddly enjoyable and comes with a four-star rating from yours truly.

Written by: Tatiana Ryckman, May 15th 2009

Offend Maggie

admin — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 00:29:00 +0000

By Deerhoof

Kill Rock Stars

Some people find Deerhoof unlistenable, with sometimes manic, screeching vocals over strange instrumentation. Some critics think they're twee, and some think they’re the best of noise rock. Most cannot slap a genre label on this expectation-bending band. There is occasional yelling and human-made sound effects, "Beep beep!" You have no idea where the songs will go, or when they will end. The lyrics may not sound like English, and while they are, it is not guaranteed that they will make sense.

On Offend Maggie, Deerhoof are in their typical bizarre, hyperactive form. The production quality is through the roof, making this album perhaps more accessible than their earlier releases, though the madness of their style is retained. “Fresh Born” is a series of words associated with baby animals, repeated. "Basket Ball Get Your Groove Back" also has a repetitive chorus of, "Rebound! Rebound!" "This Is God Speaking," which can hardly be classified as a song, is a series of distorted, Charlie Brown adult-type sounds with some clanky piano notes covering the incomprehensible groans. Only one of the fourteen songs clocks in over four minutes, and the album artwork—a cover image of a faceless man wearing headphones, parallel black and white lines inside—is disturbing and wonderful.

Yet some of the tracks here are almost ballads, melodic at times, consistently beautiful if consistently weird. Opener "The Tears of Music and Love" lives somewhere in between avant-garde awkwardness and loving harmonies. "Purple Past" sounds like it could be found on any number of other indie rock records, save the stylings of Deerhoof's signature vocalist, Satomi Matsuzaki. "Family Of Others" is reminiscent of Animal Collective with its woodsy appeal and quick switches between crooning and staccato onomatopoeia. The title track is perhaps the most appealing song and even amid its goofy lyrics of "Ring ring! I hang up!" it remains almost quaint, switching between something lyre-like tinkling and heavy electric guitar.

If you suffer from migraines, hate strobe lights, and think noise rock is for annoying hipsters, you will likely hate Deerhoof. Offend Maggie is nevertheless their most enjoyable record to date, and it is some of the most approachable noise pop on the scene.

Written by: Brittany Shoot, January 1st 2009