BREAKUP SONG

Frankly, I think I have a bit of a connection to this album considering it been released during the very first weeks of my boot camp and enlistment. Music was very much escapism at this point of my life, and frankly you can't find much better escapism than Deerhoof. Songs here tend to bring up memories of a time where I was challenged physically and mentally in ways I had never been before. But these days this songs give me a bit a feeling of triumph- I can look back at a time I was just enjoying life much at all as a time that was and will never be again, with 'Breakup Songs' carrying me through this tough time.

But yeah rambling over- on to Deerhoof!

This album released September of this year is Deerhoof's 11th album. Deerhoof has been one of the best bands in the last decade, and by changing their sound and revising their take on pop music, they've been managing to keep things as fun and engaging as they were with their earlier more noise-oriented albums. I feel that in many ways 'Breakup Songs' is a couple of steps back along with a couple of steps forward. Deerhoof return to a lo-fi production more in the style of 'Reveille' and 'Friend Oppurtunity' and leave the very clean sound of later albums such as 'Offend Maggie' and 'Deerhoof Vs. Evil' behind (both great albums, I should mention). With that, Deerhoof has shifted into a much more electronic, midi/sample, kind of band- with the same sugary melodies and quirky lyrics, Deerhoof's trademark some would say, now presented in what I would almost call dance- pop tunes that went through the blender with a sprinkle of acute noise and jangly, angular guitars and other such noises. Greg Saunnier's drums have never been less prominent in a Deerhoof album. Drum Machines now take up most of the drumming- with Saunnier's manic drumming much less present. While I think Saunnier's is one of the most interesting and just plain energetic drummers out there, the drum machines work great. And when Saunnier is drumming, there are no more manic drum fills anywhere. It's simple, to the point, groovy- but it's effective. The rhythm in this album is infectious. It is the strong dance element that makes this album irresistible, and the lo-fi sound and noisy presentation which make this album worthwhile.

Deerhoof are so successful at doing what they're doing that it's not surprising for me to that this album is one of the better Deerhoof albums to date. They're all worth a listen, more likely probably even two, but this one shows is a clear sign that Deerhoof are still having fun and still have that drive to take pop music and morph it into something delightful and thoughtful. Recommended warmly to those interested in pop music done different.

Also, they do parties.