DEERHOOF

One of San Francisco's most unclassifiably bizarre bands that has been cranking out the indie noise rock / arty math pop and experimental creativity since 1994, DEERHOOF continues to bedazzle its fanbase with one strangely alienating yet awesomely alluring album after another and now in 2023 we are treated to the band's 18th album MIRACLE-LEVEL which has been released on the appropriately named Joyful Noise label.

Anyone familiar with this strange chimeric beast of a band will surely be enamored by lead vocalist Satomi Matsuzaki who has been on board since nearly the beginning. Her cute Japanese cheerleader type vocals reminiscent of bands like Melt Banana and a gazillion similarly minded bands from Japan would make you believe that DEERHOOF indeed emerged from the land of Godzilla and sushi but the fact is that this band falls outside the perimeters of just about any other out there and spawned in the diverse sectors of San Francisco, CA.

MIRACLE-LEVEL continues the zany math rock jitteriness tamed by Matsuzaki's pacifying vocal style and on this album she performs the entire album in her native Japanese language so if there were ever to be a complete blurring of cultures on a DEERHOOF album, this is the one to offer the most confusion. Fouinder Greg Saunier has tamed downed considerably since the band's anarchic beginnings that excelled at pure adrenalized noise and now true melodies are nurtured into pleasing compositions but of course it wouldn't be a DEERHOOF album if there weren't noisy guitar riffs, occasional spastic time signature bombast and just plain losing control.

This album plays more like a Japanese math pop rock album with herky jerky instrumentation providing the backdrop for Matsuzaki's controlled vocal performances. Instrumental parts such as the "Jet-Black Double-Shield" display the wilder side of off-tune guitar antics tackling the expected DEERHOOF weirdness with outbursts of ultrasonic noise as a satisfying crescendo. The title track which follows takes a complete 180 and features a subdued vocal performance sounding like something more traditional in the Japanese history books. While balance has never been DEERHOOF's forte, MIRACLE-LEVEL has a more even keel sense of tightness and control over past endeavors.

DEERHOOF has proven that an uncompromising experimental approach can yield a multi-decade career and although this band is exactly a household name, this San Francisco outfit remains a favorite in the noise pop underground and shows no sign of letting up. MIRACLE-LEVEL shows an entirely new side of the band and one that frankly i'm surprised hasn't been explored before given Matsuzaki's linguistic skills. What makes this one even weirder is that although the lyrics are in the Japanese language, the track titles are in English. That's DEERHOOF for ya, always looking for the weirder angle to take.

Deerhoof has been "keepin it boxy and harsh since 1994" and their 18th studio album, "Miracle-Level" is another exciting new offering in their quirky oeuvre. It has everything that makes a typical Deerhoof album: John and Ed's guitars falling in and out of harmony, Satomi's happy singing style and bass work, and of course, Greg Saunier's wild unpredictable drumming driving the band from section to section.

On this album, the band ditched their typical home recording methods and recorded the album in a proper recording studio. One week to record, one week to mix, and they came up with this. It does have a slightly cleaner sound to it, particularly in the drums, and the guitars have that controlled garage band feel, but it still sounds like Deerhoof doing what they do best. The change didn't stop them from leaving their comfort zone and staying their wild, experimental selves. Another notable distinction about this album is that all the songs are sung in Japanese. Satomi is from Japan, and has sang some Deerhoof songs in Japanese, but to do it for a whole album shows their willingness to try anything new.

How does it fare? Opener "Sit Down, Let Me Tell You a Story" sets the tone with its playful, march-like rhythms, and Greg's punchy snare trudging along. This is followed by "My Lovely Cat!", a "typical" Deerhoof song... until it isn't. The little ritardando 3 minutes in really builds the tension. After this, the band slows down a little, with the next two songs in a more laid back tempo. It seems they're trying to go for the more mellow side of things, like on "The Little Maker" which has a lounge vibe to it (plus that slick 60s psychedelic groove!), and the title track and "Wedding, March, Flower", which are classically-inspired piano ballads. But when they really wanna rock, they certainly do. "And the Moon Laughs" fires up fast and gets loud with the twin guitars churning out a sweet melody. "Momentary Art of Soul!" has a shuffle beat and a hypnotic, complex arrangement accented with a horn section in the middle to make it soar. "Phase Out All Remaining Non-Miracles by 2028" (great title) throws in all of the aforementioned to create the standout track on the album. Of course, Satomi's singing hasn't faltered and even in Japanese she brings some extra excitement to the arrangements.

It's got everything that makes a Deerhoof album, and will satisfy longtime fans. For them, everything is an influence, and listening to some of the artists that inspired this one is also recommended after listening to this. They might even be the most open-minded band out there. Go Deerhoof go!

Somehow Deerhoof was sold to me as super-experimental and weird. Having this in mind, Mountain Moves is surprisingly accessible. Much of it could be appropriately labelled as art pop. A certain degree of weirdness is still there. Slow Motion Detonation is interesting art pop, made perfectly for Santomi's smooth naive voice. There's quite a bit of dynamic going on here, awesome song. Con Sordino goes on in the same vein, very catchy and positive, with some quite noisy guitar suddenly thrown in. I Will Spite Survive is another nice and catchy song with some good harmony vocals, a bit straighter, the level of sophistication has gone down from track 1 to 3 though. Come Down Here and Say That is quite groovy and atmospheric and twists surprisingly into electronic territory after 2/3 of the time. Gracias a la Vida is a slow melodramatic song with strings that one wouldn't expect in between the other stuff. Begin Countdown makes for a very nice contrast, starts rhythmic and goes on harmlessly for some time before degenerating into a monster. Then Your Dystopic Creation Doesn't Fear You has some surprisingly aggressive female vocals, probably by guest Awkwafina (there are special guests on most songs), a pleasant art pop part in the middle with some super surprising short instrumental interlude... more and more this reminds me of the way 10cc have put some of their songs together. Ay That's Me has yet another singer, changes between 5/4 and 6/4 and even stranger stuff later, the melody is smooth enough but later we are confronted with some harsh and rather outlandish guitar. Palace of the Governors is instrumental for about 1:40, melodic, glamorous and mostly electronic, they could've finished it like this but didn't, there's a bit of rather unremarkable singing in the end. Singalong Junk has a lot of "lalala" singing, it's rather slow but the melody is intricate enough. Mountain Moves has experimental minimalist 1980s new wave flavour and jazzer Matana Roberts on sax, good stuff. Freedom Highway is a rather cliched rock'n roll number, I could do without it but it adds to the overall variety. Sea Moves is flowing nicely with some atmospheric sound experiments and male voice for a change. Very good but just 2 minutes. Kokoye on the other hand gives the listener some changes that disturb the free flow; it's an interesting song that takes some getting used to. Small Axe is just piano plus Santomi, it's credited to Bob Marley and serves as some kind of lullabye in the end.

Overall this is pretty good fun. Some bits are really great, some I have more difficulties to make sense of. The contrast between some sparkling electronic sounds and a rather low fi sounding rough guitar is appealing; the drummer has both elements, tight and precise playing but an at times quite pedestrian sound and approach. Over all this there's Santomi's otherwordly voice, adding a dreamy girly touch to things. I set out to rate this with 3 stars because initially I thought that much of it can't keep the level of the marvellous opener, but I have warmed considerably to this. The band is very tight and features some great teamwork. It's full of diversity, surprises and nice ideas and leaves me smiling. 3.7 stars rounded to 4. 10cc fans listen to this!

DEERHOOF continued their wildly experimental noise rock sound combined with the cutesy twee pop vocals of Satomi Matsuzaki on their second album THE MAN, THE KING, THE GIRL. Like their previous album and EPs, the music is a combination of the harsh atonal dissonant noise punk of Rob Fisk on guitar and Greg Saunier on drums with the entire emphasis on creating the most surreal soundscapes humanly possible. Of course all of these madness becomes even weirder as Matsuzaki flirts her childish innocence with a Cibo Matto flair and in tandem DEERHOOF create one of the weirdest albums of the 90s as they take the noise rock approach of bands like Sonic Youth and torture the compositions into amorphous creations that sound more like a Sun Ra album gone really wild back in the day at least in terms of sheer 'out-there-ness.'

While DEERHOOF would tame their sound immensely on their later albums, on THE MAN, THE KING, THE GIRL the trio remains in utter reckless abstraction thus embodying the true definition of noise rock only with more sophisticated methods of escapism from the norm than the typical band associated with the term. In this regard they are closer to the anarchic noisy freneticism of early Boredoms and fellow San Franciscans Caroliner with their desire to avoid normalcy at all costs. However despite the weird for the sake of weird being the main staple on board, some tracks like 'Polly Bee' come off as simple little indie pop rock songs that wouldn't sound out of place on a Guided By Voices or Sebadoh type of indie rock album.

The beauty isn't necessary the abstract break-ever-musical-rule element embedded in every untuned note and abused beat with DEERHOOF at this stage, but its really with the creative diversity with which they carry these wild antics out. Like any good avant-artist out there, the band learned how to create recognizable patterns of sound under the seemingly formless mass of sound. 'Gold On Black' even has a Hendrix-esque riff to accompanied by some sort of rhythmic gamelan sounding tones, whereas 'Gore In Rut' exhibits a veritable garage band jam complete with snarling feedback and Princess Matsuzaki daintily repeating 'Bunny, bunny, bunny' amidst the chaotic feedback-fest that surrounds her thus exhibiting her most twee pop performance on the album.

While some tracks like 'For Those Of Us On Foot' are purely non-musical with only intermittent pointillistic cymbals and vocal weirdness emerging, most tracks are quite grounded in some form of rock music but have been processed by the musicians' bizarre rendition of reality leaving one of the most surreal experiences even within the highly experimental canon of DEERHOOF themselves. It goes without saying that DEERHOOF is an acquired taste that will only appeal to those who can enjoy music that revels in breaking all the rules and delivers a hefty dose of shock and awe in its wake. While this is the kind of stuff that may be experienced as repulsive by many, the acclamation of such styles of music has left me under its spell and i find THE MAN, THE KING, THE GIRL to be a very brilliant escape into the demented yet brilliant minds of those who insist on creating a style of music never heard before.

San Francisco has always been known for its freakiness but most tend to think of the 60s vibes of the Grateful Dead or Janis Joplin, however the city never lost its knack for producing totally bizarre and even uncategorizable musical talent. DEERHOOF is one of those such whacked out musical entities that generally gets lumped into the indie rock or noise category but somehow throughout their career have also weaseled their way into the progressive rock world as well punk, experimental pop and just plain weirdo rock. While their sound would change drastically around the turn of the millennium, in the beginning when bassist Rob Fisk and drummer Greg Saunier formed in 1994 they mostly cranked out improvisational bass & drum punk. However when they met Satomi Matsuzaki and invited her to sing with them, she would forever alter the sonicscape of the already strange improv noise rock by adding an element of cutesy twee femininity to the surreal melange of madness.

Their first album is actually DIRT PIRATE CREED which came out in 1996 although there are many sources where their discography is listed that totally omit this one and begin the list with "The Man, The King, The Girl" as their debut. This is probably because this one is fairly obscure, was only released once as a vinyl LP, and has never been reissued and therefore seemingly forgotten. It could also be because at this stage the trio was cranking out some of the harshest noisy experimental rock that you could ever possibly imagine with more focus on sonic assaults than any sort of melodies or even atmospheric textures. While Matsuzaki does lend a melodic touch with her niminy-priminy vocal contributions, they turn out to be just as weird and detached from reality as her energetic instrumental bandmates. The result is a very strange trip through the equivalent of a sonic minefield where it feels like they tiptoe through atonal quiet passages only to explode into dissonant bursts of energetic brutality fortified with feedback and frenzy.

While i actually love the early years of DEERHOOF, this one is totally errant in its approach and gives zero f.u.c.k.s about what anyone considers music. In some ways it reminds me of early Boredoms in this regard although musically doesn't sound anything like them. This is some mean meandering craziness all dragged out into an album's length and at this point DEERHOOF is still in the extreme noise phase as heard on their earlier EP "The Return Of The Wood M'Lady." This one is reserved only for those who love noise punk and space cadet music in total surreal mode. The closest thing that resembles "normal" established musical systems are the percussive rhythms that offer some sort of connection to rock music but often it is as wild and unpredictable as the bass and vocal parts. Not as good as the next album that adds more variety to their sound. This one goes out of its way to be weird for weird's sake, but if that's what you're craving then this one delivers that out of body experience where you can astroplane in a Salvador Dalí painting. I do love this on occasion.

DEERHOOF was founded by Rob Fisk and Greg Saunier in San Francisco in 1994 and since then has self-produced their albums and created their own unique little niche in the experimental rock world incorporating various styles of indie rock and pop with noise. THE RETURN OF THE WOOD M'LADY is their short debut EP that finds them far away from their indie pop impressions of Cibo Matto meets Stereolab on cutesy steroids. This anarchic and apocalyptic little number is an early lo-fi noisefest that tackles the most distorted take on sustaining notes that sounds like the aftermath of a bombing attack while the drums randomly keep beats and distribute off-kilter rhythms while jangly massive distortion feedback could put kvlt-er-than-thou black metal to shame.

At this stage DEERHOOF reminds me more of early Ruins with their harsh noise pop take that places them closer to Sonic Youth than Belle & Sebastian. This is a dark and grueling underground type of music that takes basic rhythms and breaks them down into a freestyle frenzy of instruments that find themselves more often than not alienating themselves from each other. While this is primarily a bass and drum affair there are also female vocals that scream and screech and moan and pop in and out of the off-kilter musical breakdowns and cataclysmic atmosphere that sounds as chaotic as the album cover art depicts. If you have ever heard any newer DEERHOOF albums then this is the absolute opposite type of music you would ever expect. While the band has always been about experimental indie rock, this early ominous sounding soundtrack of doom will come as quite a shock.

Ever since their inception, Deerhoof have always had the unique ability of combining a whimsical atmosphere with strong punk and noise rock leanings. The way they could switch from one mode to another at the flick of the wrist gave them both an incredibly loyal cult following and a lot of indie cred, but their influence is not just limited to that either. Radiohead, St. Vincent, Foo Fighters, and a whole slew of other musicians have been either influenced by or appreciative of Deerhoof's work, putting them in that King's X-esque category of "bands who aren't mainstream, but influenced the bands who are in the mainstream." On top of that, despite the band's penchant for noisy songs, they're just so easy to listen to! Fast punchy riffs, catchy melodies and lyrics, and short runtimes are the mainstays of the majority of their records; in fact, I'd say the only real idiosyncrasy of the band comes in the form of lead singer and bassist Satomi Matsuzaki. Her high-pitched, childlike vocal delivery is a huge driving force in the band's compelling weirdness - as are the lyrics, of course. So, with this clash of the benign and harsh, I suppose it comes as no surprise that the band eventually released a concept album with the whole "twisted fairytale" approach. In this case, the album is Milkman and the malicious character is the one who bears the same name.

The central conceit of Milkman's tale is that of the titular character seeming innocent and friendly until he starts kidnapping people and trapping them in his lair. There's not much more to say about the story than that, but Deerhoof work off this concept beautifully. Every hard-rocking number sounds so ramshackled and loose that you'd swear the band's instruments were gonna fall apart at any point; just listen to the garage-like drumming of "Giga Dance" or the relentless distorted single-note riffs of the opening title track. But the band never do let that happen, as the softer and more wondrous moments balance them out at just the right moments for a good sense of contrast. Just when that title track threatens to get too loud or too raucous, the verses immediately bring the volume down to soften the blow; they somehow sound both sinister and sweet at the same time. And some songs are just flat-out gorgeous; "Dream Wanderer's Tune" hosts a dizzying array of layered synths and a slow dreamlike tempo, making you feel as if you're literally floating on a cloud as you listen. But even the softer moments maintain a strange dissonance, whether it be some atonal piano chords that populate the electronic beats of "Desaparecere" or even "Dream Wanderer Tune"'s melancholic second half. Basically, the premise of this album in a musical sense is that much of the record sounds comforting, but also just uncomfortable enough that you're always on edge for the next bizarre motif or riff to rear its head.

Honestly, that seems fitting for a concept in which you're trapped in a place that seems inviting. That twisted kind of juxtaposition is communicated well by the music, and once in a while you'll get songs like "Milking" or "Song of Sorn" which merge both the loveliest and darkest elements of the album into a single strange-yet-compelling mixture. Especially noteworthy is the former track, which is perhaps the best song of the entire record. It pretty much captures an entire summary of Deerhoof's storied career into a single song; abrasive, noisy rock passages, a high-energy punk motif, a whimsical bridge, and lots of dynamic and rhythmic variety to top it off. But luckily, the rest of the album doesn't fall far behind. Really, the only track that could have been left off the record is "Dog on the Sidewalk," which is just a pointless afterthought of glitchy effects and boring vocals; at only a minute and a half, it just feels tacked on. But that's really about it as far as "afterthoughts" go, with everything else fitting neatly with the album's fascinating - if creepy - themes. Deerhoof always deserved more than to just be a band for the indie hipsters to enjoy, so make this your first journey with them if you can. It's both a perfect place to start and a beautiful experience in its own right.

Reviewing my favorite albums of 2012 from while being on base during the weekend? You bet!

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.

I didn't plan to do much reviewing, (and this is my second one, so I hope this is what people look for in a review) but I think it is important that there are reviews from the people who really get what Deerhoof is doing here just as I think it is important that there are reviews from people who rate this album poorly as well because people will find both kinds of reviews to be useful. It would be silly to call people who don't like Deerhoof 'close-minded'. I think for the most part it is because of Satomi that people find them obnoxious. I happen to be able to tolerate (and enjoy) lo-fi music done by poorly trained musicians instrument-wise, but these are not poorly trained musicians. I admit though, I don't know what makes a singer considered well trained. So while I see it as perfectly understandable that someone wouldn't like them, I suggest that everyone should give them a chance.

Moving on though to the actual album: Friend Opportunity. I may have been generous with some ratings, but this is one of my favorite albums of all time. Perhaps my second favorite, so I do not exaggerate my love for this album.

Almost all albums take time to grow on me, usually starting with one or two that I like on first listen, and then I begin to appreciate the subtleties of the rest. This happened fairly quickly for me here, although there were a few songs that took a while to grow on me: Choco Fight and Kidz Are So Small. Although I always love kooky things, these songs just bugged me. I apologize for not being able to be more descriptive here, but I simply began to enjoy them after a while. That's it. Although I have to say, I always loved the bass in Choco Fight. It really makes me want to walk in around a city, late at night, with that playing through the alleyways. Then there's +81 which is the only one that doesn't do a whole lot for me still, however it doesn't ruin anything for me since it's only the second song.

Pretty much everything else blows me away. After +81 is when Deerhoof really takes off to show you their madness, beginning with Believe E.S.P, the first song of theirs to catch my interest. I think half of these songs have brainwashed me in one way or another because they really all sound like it. I believe this is how Satomi really uses her vocal style to her advantage - not to attempt being a pop star, but to either be a.) a fun pop singer, or b.) a creepy, crazy, cult-like creature of the deep.

And boy, do I wonder how they write these songs. It seems clear that most songs are not done by just one member as they have such a bizarre mixture of sounds and style. Greg can be anything from a sloppy, free rock drummer to an ambient drum wizard; John always compliments the spacey and/or creepy sounds just right; and it is the one Satomi who turns it into what the finished piece is. I always wondered what their real creative process is, though. I guess you'd have to be there!

My favorite song here: Caste Off Crown. Here is where Greg Saunier shows us his vocal skills. This song is stunningly beautiful and Greg really makes it that way. The transitioning between the heavy, noisy parts, and the cool, airy verse really mystifies the whole experience. I won't give it all away though.

I think Deerhoof is one of the best bands at being consistently good, while always changing in sound. No two tracks on Friend Opportunity even sound like they were obviously written by the same people. With the eerie sounds of Believe E.S.P and Choco Fight, the beautiful, relaxing sounds of The Galaxist, Whither the Invisible Birds?, and Caste Off Crown, the intensity of The Perfect Me and Matchbook Seeks Maniac, and then to end it all with the eerily beautiful intensity of the 11 minute-45 second, Look Away, this highly experimental album is like nothing else!

10/10 - easy

Deerhoof are a unique band, a band that most prog lovers will not like. Offend Maggie, however may be thier most palatable and proggie release to date Family Of Others utalizes more acessable and harmonically complex singing and more upbeat rythims with psychadellic acoustic guitar that might remind some of classic 70s prog. Chandelier Searchlight should be right up the alley of more accepting kraut heads and Snoopy Waves will sound fermiliar to lovers of math-rock. That being sayed this is still Deerhoof and fans will still find rediculous little girl vocals and lyrics "bunny jump, bunny jump, bunny jump, go go champions speed speed champions." Greg Sauniers just plain strange drum lines and decidedly non-linear rythims also remain in tact. So what makes this particular album different than others in the Deerhoof catalouge? Well, the cheesy 80s synth pop element thats characterized their music of late but they have not gone back to the surreal Rolling Stones gone mad sound of their early recordings, instead their sound recalls experimental giants like Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo and Velvet Underground as well as the outer reaches of 70s prog rock. I strongly Reccomend this to any prog fan who is getting tired of the genre and looking for somthing to shine a new light on the subject.