[rating=3.50]
To simply dismiss Deerhoof as weird would be a bit unfair. Sure, they’re not pumping All-American rock ‘n’ roll like The Hold Steady or Kings of Leon, but on the weirdometer, they’re still topping out before the Van Vleit Zone. A more precise description might divide the band in two. Vocalist Satomi Matsuzaki would sound right at home on an indie-rock anime soundtrack, and the band’s instrumentation could take a seat at the conference table at Signal to Noise with nary a batted eye. What each does has been done and documented, and if you’re into either, Deerhoof is worth checking out. What bears pondering, however, is the juxtaposition of the two, and more importantly, the space between them.
For those into the whole meat thing, deer is sweet and juicy, Friend Opportunity is a bit more complex: a series of flavors that only a genius, or perhaps a savant, could create. Imagine shoving Willie Wonka’s four-course-meal chewing gum in your ear: It tastes like King Crimson, Bjork, John McGaughlin and Beefheart pureed and simmered then poured over steamed Zappa. Or perhaps coney. After “The Perfect Time” chimes in like the band’s only hope at college radio air play, “+81+” one-ups it with bunny-rabbit-cute lyrics and an unstoppably danceable pop groove.
But lest the unsuspecting think that Deerhoof are all Easter eggs and rainbows, check out “Kidz Are So Small” and “Look Away,” whose spacey-trippy trance whatever is full of dissonance but still In a Silent Way pretty and “Echoes” peaceful, like twelve minutes of the seventh minute of a ten minute Sonic Youth song. And if virtuosity is your thing, check out “The Galaxist” and “Cast Off Crown” and tell me that kids without formal training can’t whoop the candy ass off a Joulliard kid. OK, so yeah, Deerhoof is weird, but make sure you read the disclaimer.
