Deerhoof are an incredible band, they are so original, so different, so fun. I'm ashamed to say that despite seeing them live twice, and having been completely blown away on both occasions, I've never bought any of their albums. I'm not quite sure why. I guess on some level I was thinking that their free-wheeling style, veering from art to noise to pop and back again, with little let-up, wouldn't translate into something I'd enjoy listening to passively, in an arm chair or on a bus rather than in some sweaty auditorium. Yet here I am, 22 years into their career listening to their 16th studio album for the fourth time, grinning from ear to ear.
To create The Magic Deerhoof rented an abandoned office space in New Mexico for seven days, rather than some big professional studio. They went in with few ideas, dry, and came out with these 15 songs, 40 minutes of vibrant, eclectic, experimental rock. Deerhoof have always been a bit of a DIY band, happier to take a more surreal approach than do something obvious. Happier to set up and jam as a garage band than layer endless over-dubs under the guidance of some hot-shot producer with a fleet of engineers positioning microphones. That much is obvious when you're in their presence, and when you listen to their music. It's refreshing, it's fresh, it's new, it's different! The Magic is undeniably polished though, it's a professional record and that is a testament to their longevity, they've been at this a long time and so, sort-of inevitably they've become very adept at capturing what they do. What's more surprising is how great the music is, after a couple of decades you can expect artists to mellow, to simplify, to refine and, in refining unfortunately most bands lose the spark that animated their early, glory days. The Magic is full of spark though, it sparkles, it's exciting and driven!
The album begins with singer/bassist Satomi Matsuzaki quietly sing-saying “The Magic”, before a punk rock riff and pace-filled drum beat launches 'The Devil And His Anarchic Surrealist Retinue' into action. It's a catchy number and it's energetic, hitting a high as the chorus kicks in with the two guitarists panned to either side, playing off each other, completing each other’s licks. 'Kafe Mania' continues in a similar vein, with an even denser rock riff to begin that is immediately contrasted by the pop melodies, shiny keyboard pads and Satomi's unmistakeable vocal – jingle-like with her strong Japanese accent. Punk rock dominates the mix as Deerhoof's phenomenal drummer Greg Saunier takes lead vocal for the short slice of anger that is 'That Ain't No Life To Me'; “you were born to be my grave/you want out I'm in to deep/I don't care how the other half live cos I've seen how the other half dies”. The distortion on the guitars is dialled up to eleven and the attentive listener will note how they subtly play with time, as verses come out significantly slower than the choruses before them and spaces are extended and accented – it's the same effect as a young, amateur band who are so excited by the chorus they race to it, but Deerhoof create this excitement intentionally, deliberately and expertly.
Still the anger in 'That Ain't No Life…' is a rarity, it's a testament to the joy bubble that Deerhoof generate with their music that a song with a title like 'Life Is Suffering' can do nothing but lift your spirits as Greg and Satomi sing; “note my screams of joy, higher and higher and higher”. Next up is 'Criminals of the Dream' which was released with a music video back in May to promote The Magic's forth-coming release, at five minutes it's much longer than anything else on the album and uncharacteristically long from my experience of the band. The music video seems to be pieced together from semi-random mobile phone footage and close-ups of a dog that Satomi can't seem to teach how to fetch. The song begins with an incredibly cheesy keyboard tone, sounding like a home-keyboard playing a Disney theme, Satomi sings “dream, you can dream, you can dream you can dream, I know you can dream” ushering in a dark and fuzzy bass tone and driving drums with bright simple melodies plinking out on top from a guitar that sounds almost like a steel drum. The contrast between gritty, edgy guitars and hard-hitting, explosive drumming with squeaky clean poppy melodies and soft, bright key tones is an ever constant feature of the Deerhoof sound, but it's not the only mode they play in. There's funk, avant-garde noise, free-form jazz-like playing and anything else that takes their fancy in the moment – 'Model Behaviour' being a perfect example with it's strange jazzy groove, caught somewhere between Primus, Ren & Stimpy and an early 90s computer game.
Some of my favourite moments in their repertoire here err towards the slightly more conventional, like 'Dispossessor' or 'Plastic Thrills' where the band sound like a model example of the sort of American garage rock bands Graham Coxon started to idolise in the latter half of the 90s, and almost turned Blur into in parts of 1997's Blur album. They do melodic rock, fuzzy as hell, but still find interesting quirks and twists in their arrangements, always leaving room for a little of the unexpected. Deerhoof continue to surprise with a bizzare cover of The Inkspots 40s jazz hit 'I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire', the melody almost adhered to whilst the backing track is a minimal electronic beat and completely off-key synths. 'Acceptance Speech' has shades of 80s classic rock, 'Patrasche Comes Back' sounds like someone left a microphone running capturing Satomi singing a new idea to herself and 'Debut' sounds like they've borrowed the groove from Channel 4's University sit-com Fresh Meat.
'Little Hollywood' is a real late-album highlight, sounding in some ways similar to Punjabi MCs bhangra version of the Knight Rider theme tune, it's a cracking groove, showing off Greg Saunier's undeniable skill and range but also the band’s ability to retain their style and identity whilst suddenly, unexpectedly taking on melodies and rhythms that are completely left-field and unusual within their oeuvre. Whether they're rocking hard and loud, grooving away with off-beat funk and jazz, or telling surreal little tales Deerhoof really sound fresh and exciting on this album. They are as inventive and creative as they've ever been two decades into the game – they really have got the musical magic down. Long may they continue!
Adam Kidd
Website: deerhoof.net
Facebook: facebook.com/Deerhoof
Twitter: twitter.com/deerhoof