Deerhoof – Friend Opportunity
Kill Rock Stars (released 1/23/07)
Indie rock
I made the mistake, for the journalistic purposes of this article, to research Deerhoof in order to create a mini-biography of the band for you, dear reader. Apparently, Deerhoof is not a radical faction of the Care Bears playing homemade instrument on colored clouds miles above the sky—as their sound would have you believe—or even a side project of the Muppet band Electric Mayhem’s Dr. Teeth and Janice. Spanning back to 1997, Deerhoof is an experimental noise pop band from San Francisco. That is all I am going to say about them because making this band human—and not some wacky Dr. Seuss-ian contraption of instruments that I picture it to be—will only ruin the fun. Friend Opportunity resuscitates your imagination.
The album only gets better upon multiple listens (or is it listenings?) because what once seemed chaotic and confusing begins to make sense. Perfect musical pronouncements form out of what once sounded like melodic pulp and you realize how brilliant this band actually is. Each song is a wonderful mixture of powerfully funky drums, playful vocal lyrics and clamor, and subtle electronic noise accenting the songs, not over powering them. The first track, “The Perfect Me”, is exactly that, a perfect song in the traditional Deerhoof style. On this album every song is so completely different stylistically, and yet somehow they feel as though they belong together—like a bizarre jigsaw puzzle where the photo still can’t be deciphered even after completion.
The sound can often times be scary to listen to, unsure of where these musicians are taking you. One is not even able to find steady footing in the song titles like “+81”, “Whither The Invisible Birds?” and “Believe E.S.P.” to give you the slightest hints at what these songs are about. But in every song there is a safety net; the clouds do part as you find yourself cradled in a wonderful poppy chorus, guitar riff and Satomi Matsuzaki’s beautifully unique voice. She sings with such defiance toward conventional songstress-ness that you actualy have trouble picturing a human being making these noises.
The only downfall of this album, and I saw it coming, is the last track. Of the ten tracks on the album, the first nine go by quite quickly, which is a big warning sign that the last track is a 8+ minute musical masturbation session. I was half right with Friend Opportunity. It is pushing just under twelve minutes, but the music does not stray into monotony or even musical melodrama. Theatrical, almost speaking, guitars wander around quiet synths and a puncuating singer. Growing and growing, like a radio station slowly coming into tune, and suddenly exploding.
Suggested Tracks: “Believe E.S.P.”, “Choco Fight”, “Matchbook Seeks Maniac”
Rating:
WHILE WE ARE ON THE SUBJECT…
(A quick explanation. After every review I do there will be a quick addendum. It will consist of an album and single from the past and will usually reflect the themes I talked about in the main review.)
Bearsuit – Cat Spectacular! (2005)
If you like Deerhoof and wish to dive deeper into the noise-pop genre, or perhaps you are overly familiar with Deerhoof and are looking to wow your underground indie-hipster friends with something even more obscure, then I strongly suggest this album from 2005.
Bearsuit is Deerhoof’s irrational, ill-behaved cousin from the UK. They are not as polished as Deerhoof, but this album is very entertaining. Clapping, tapping, recorders, trumpets and whistles make for a raw, homemade sound.
Suggested Tracks: “Itsuko Got Married”, “Diagonal Girl”, “Cookie Oh Jesus”
“Bring Me Coffee or Tea” – Can, off the album Tago Mago (1971)
This is an enchanting and wonderful track from the band that inspired both Deerhoof and Bearsuit. Perfect for playing when trying to brainstorm or for putting on during a mellow party as a conversation starter.
