Ok, first off, this isn't a new release -- not even a new reissue -- heck it's the remastered 25th anniversary edition of "In Rock", which means it came out in 1995. But we just got some in (to help bolster our embarrassingly small "Classic Rock" section), and while our Classic Rock section remains tiny, at least now it has this extremely excellent Deep Purple album in it! Quite possibly you're already aware of what a monumental slab of early '70s hard rock this disc is, and are happy for this reminder of the opportunity to add it to your cd collection if it's not there already. Or, perhaps you're not familiar with it, but happened to have woken up this morning wondering, hey, that Deep Purple band I keep hearing so much about, what album should I go buy of theirs today? then this is one for you (the other would be "Machine Head", but this one came first so we'll deal with it today). This was the debut of the classic Deep Purple "Mark II" line-up: new vocalist Ian Gillan, guitarist Richie Blackmore, organist John Lord, drummer Ian Paice, and new bassist Roger Glover (as illustrated in the front cover's Mt. Rushmore take-off). Together they made Deep Purple's fourth album (this one) one of the heaviest, most energetic, kick ass rock records ever. Maybe not quite metal, but close. Classic cuts include "Speed King" (with its Blackmore freakout intro), "Bloodsucker", "Living Wreck", and the epic "Child In Time". That song alone, and Gillan's astonishing performance in it, makes this disc essential. And, we wouldn't have one of the best Merzbow discs of recent memory without this album's "Hard Lovin' Man"!
This cd version includes a bunch of alternate takes/mixes, the non-album "Black Night" hit single, and even some studio chat, along with super detailed liner notes and jewel case cover printed with the band members' autographs (which Byram complains about in one of our Neighborhood films). Ok, enough, just wanted to give props to some truly classic rock.
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Proving that the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal's bounty is seemingly limitless, Shadow Kingdom does it again with another killer NWOBHM find. Actually, we'd read about this band on the internet a while back and wanted to hear 'em ever since, finally here's a reissue of their only album, complete with bonus disc of demo rarities! We've barely listened to that disc, though, interesting as it is, 'cause we just keep spinning the actual album. That's one sign of a good record, another is that after only listening to it a couple of times, we felt like we already knew the songs, there's a lot of individuality here.
Deep Switch (named after a bass-boosting option on an amp one of them owned) and their Nine Inches Of God album, originally released in 1986, are hardly typical NWOBHM fare though. You might have guessed that from the cover art, a psychedelic cartoonish painting of a tripped-out, half-naked, lysergically melting nun (done by the guitarist's dad!) No, they're weird ones, these Deep Switch boys, lead by one "Reverend Nice"; irreverent, intelligent, idiosyncratic (just look at their colorful facepaint and top hats!). Combining a bit of a punk attitude with heavy metal chops, Deep Switch are sex-obsessed and anti-religious, making commentary on society and politics in songs that range from total prog epics to ahead-of-their time alt-metal (and one pretty ballad).
Lead-off track "Pigfeeder!" really threw us for a loop when we first heard it. NWOBHM... with rapping?? Well a little bit of rapping, but it doesn't sound like any "rap-metal" we've ever heard before. Not even sure if that was their intention. Weird but it works, in a Blondie "Rapture" man from Mars, eating cars kind of way, but it's actually saying something, while taking the piss at the same time. Ultimately "Pigfeeder!" is THEE super-catchy, uber-rhythmic song that Deep Switch shall be remembered for when the Big Book of Heavy Metal is written at the end of days. At the very least, in our book, it's up there with "Diggin' That Grave" by Jesters Of Destiny. But there's lots else on this album we dig too, other songs where the widdly guitars and falsetto vocals are put in more typically metal context, reminding us of Mercyful Fate and LA's Warlord at times. Another fave of ours would be the history lesson of "Time Machine", a poppy, proggy gem with lines advising a certain Harold not to "go down to Hastings".
So if you can deal with a little British humor in your old school metal (the killer guitars, catchy riffage, and vocal harmonies should certainly help), you should flip (for) the Deep Switch. And again, Shadow Kingdom do the reissue thing right, there's that whole other disc featuring earlier, different demos of several of the album tracks, plus some previously unreleased material, including a parody of their own "Pigfeeder!" in the form of a Christmas song called "The Festive Zone". And then there's the thick booklet, full of crazy photos, lyrics, and copious liner notes from Reverend Nice himself. Informative, and amusing - we loved the part where he talks about a pub gig at which their bass player Johnny Blade, unable to decipher the set list, comes over to ask what song they're doing next... when told, his response was "It couldn't be - I just played that one!". Classic. As is this album, in its way. Very much recommended.
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In the spirit of Aquarius' long standing tradition of being on the forward thrust of aural intercourse, here's an album you should not pass up. Though the sound quality isn't the best at times (some of it really sucks, and sounds as though someone stuck their microphone up the tv set) there are some gems on here that are really hard to pass up. Even if you can't quite swallow more seventies scores, the penetrating dialog from the film more than makes up for any disappointment you may have. It's hard to play this cd in the store without having someone blush (usually it's Allan.) But really, this album not only features some truly weird and wonderful '70s porno-groove-pop (by anonymous musicians of course) but is even funnier than this review. Really.
We had a reissue some years back of this soundtrack but the audio was terrible (sounded like somebody had taken the soundtrack straight off the speaker of their Zenith television set). Now it comes remastered, apparently from the master tapes by the sound of it, and err.. expanded. If you've only seen or heard of one porn film it's most likely going to be Deep Throat. It was for a long time (and may still be) the highest grossing independent film ever. It's even made it into US political history in the form of the informant so named by Woodward and Bernstein during the Watergate brouhaha. Fitting then that, according to the liner notes, Richard Nixon was said to posses his own personal copy at the Whitehouse (Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. apparently also had copies). Deep Throat brought porn kicking and screaming into the mainstream. While much of the music is typical of your standard porn soundtrack: raunchy funk with loads of wah-wah guitar and peppy hammond organ, there are also plenty of atypical numbers including a laid back, let it all hang out cover of Mickey & Sylvia's "Love Is Strange". But the best track, or worst depending how you look at it, has to be the ballad "Deep Throat To You All" with breathy male vocals singing "deep throat, deeper than deep, your throat... don't row the boat, don't get your goat, that's all she wrote". It's truly truly inspired in that special way, like a classic song poem. Like those Deep Note compilations, Light In the Attic has included some of the finer parts of the movie's dialog for your enjoyment. Also included as a bonus is the soundtrack to Deep Throat's incredibly unsuccessful sequel. The music here is a pallid imitation of the original film's score, but you can take it or leave it at this price. Included is a full color booklet with a personal account on the film's impact by one viewer and an interview with Ron Jeremy on the film and its legacy.
Envision the seediest alleys of New York and out of the shadows come the Deep Throats (except they're from SF.) Torn fishnet stockings. Dishevelled heads of the blackest and bleachest of hair. Smeared eyeliner and lipstick for warpaint. Sounding at times not unlike The Birthday Party, but with a higher pitched squelch for vocals. Very murky, very turbulent, very brash. Graced by the presence of beloved AQ-customer Chris Johansson.
Andee met up with Pentti from Finnish legends Deep Turtle when he was over there a couple years ago, saw them play and was totally blown away. Now we finally have a couple of killer eps from Finland's masters of grind / prog / punk / pop. Pounding melodic punk rock, with throbbing bass and insane drumming, super melodic and riffy, sometimes heavy and pummelling, sometimes super poppy and almost ska (?) but ocasionally everything switches into hyper complex super dynamic rhythmic mode a la the Ruins. Stops and starts, insane arrangements, and some serious hooks! Even at their most impossible, the songs stick in your head like crazy. Also, the song titles and lyrics are in Spanish! Not sure why Deep Turtle chose to sing in Spanish here but it definitely adds to the off kilter weirdness. All you Finnophiles are definitely going to want this. This record has grown on us like crazy, so even those of you who have yet to dip your toes into the wild and wonderful world of underground Finnish rock might want to check it out.
Second of two recent eps from legendary Finnish grind / prog / punk / pop outift Deep Turtle. Andee had the chance to hang out with Deep Turtle frontman Pennti when he was in Finland and to see Deep Turtle totally destroy live. On Tutina, Deep Turtle bear an uncanny resemblance to AQ faves Uz Jsme Doma! Riffy and super complex, with slithery synths winding all around the notes, impossible time signatures, Ruins-esque dynamics, and lots of riffy weirdness. Sort of like Mr. Bungle if they were more like a death metal Ruins. If that makes any sense. And it doesn't, but neither do Deep Turtle! Wild and perplexing and freaked out and so good.
Okay Finnish music obsessives! We only got a handful of these, so don't be too bummed if we run out lickety split.
Super aggro Finnish tag team action. One side features Finnish Favorites Deep Turtle, spewing out a grinding tech punk blowout. Ultra weird and convoluted, impossibly complicated stop/start arrangements, like Melt-Banana mixed with the Ruins. Wacked and weird and wonderful. Super manic percussion, with strange little interludes, snippets of intercepted radio broadcasts splattered all over truly head spinning technical metallic madness. Oh except for the second track, a weird little shuffling Finnish calypso breakdown peppered with brief blasts of Iron Maiden-ish melodic shred. Woah.
The other side features Valse Triste who counter with multiple blasts of fuzzy, grungy crusty brutality, a fucked up take on Discharge / G.B.H. with some strangely glammy guitar and hoarse shouted vocals. Cool.
Packaged in a goofy AC/DC parody sleeve, the backside folds out and inside is a huge lyric sheet, and two full color postcards.
Anybody remember the excellent Australian indie punk band Venom P. Stinger, circa the late '80s / early '90s? That Melbourne based outfit was guitarist Mick Turner's band before the Dirty Three. Well, turns out that two of Turner's former Venom P. Stinger bandmates, Nick Palmer and Alan Secher-Jensen, are still doing the underground Aussie noise rock thing, in a criminally under-publicized power trio that goes by the ominous name of Deep Where All Drown. They've recorded two albums worth of their powerful music thus far, 2004's The Marianas and 2008's Movement, and you'll find 'em both together here in this gatefold digipack double cd set, released in 2009 (of which we only just managed to track down some copies, as it's barely available at all outside of Australia). Being Venom P. Stinger fans from way back, we were curious, and when we finally heard these Deep Where All Drown discs, we were extremely pleased! Mostly instrumental (there's singing/shouting on only about half the songs on disc one, that's it), both discs add up to 22 tracks total of some seriously intense, ultimately hypnotic post-punk math-rock music chock full of chiming, noisy guitar wrangling, muscular bass, and insistent drumming. DWAD are tight and complex, and conjure atmospheres both grim and beautiful. Great stuff from Down Under! (And by Down Under we mean both Australia and also metaphorically, in keeping with one of DWAD's main themes, the lightless depths of the bottom of the ocean, viz. the Pacific's Marianas trench.)
Hard to believe that before the blown out, guitar hero, indie psych jangle of Dinosaur Jr, J Mascis was actually a drummer, who spent most of his time drumming in Satanic punk metal combo Upsidedown Cross, and legendary punk rockers Deep Wound!
But it wasn't just Mascis, Sebadoh mainman Lou Barlow was there too, both kicking up a shitstorm in this short lived, but kick ass outfit.
This is furious old skool punk rock, but with those two you know things would still be, well, a bit melodic. And it is, Catchy and heavy, fast and furious, the seeds of things to come...
Killer songs, tight musicianship, and yeah, we're still talking about punk rock here. While Deep Wound obviously have a bit of that classic Boston HC sound, falling somewhere between fellow Beantown brethren Siege & DC stalwarts Void, their sound wasn't quite as chaotic or over the top, but definitely just as full of conviction.
Sure, Deep Wound featured some soon-to-be indie superstars, but it wouldn't matter anyway, cuz Deep Wound stand completely on their own -- underrated though they may be -- in the first-wave-of-American-Hardcore. An essential release for sure. Better than the old cd version with new artwork and a bunch of extra songs!
Now somebody sort out a super deluxe Upsidedown Cross reissue and we'll be happy!
And also, we should note that Mascis HAS been back behind the drumkit recently, in AQ fave doomsters Witch!
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We want to live in whatever world the music of Deepchord provides the soundtrack to. His murky, swirly minimal techno/dub evokes some sort of future noir, crumbling buildings, rainswept streets, everything lit by the haunting yellow glow of old streetlights, but it also has us imagining modern penthouses, all glass and chrome, overlooking the decrepit city, and the long lit tunnels of some futuristic transport system, not sure why, but Hash-Bar Loops, a record thematically focused on Amsterdam actually, instead has us imagining something like Raymond Chandler crossed with Tron. Which is most definitely a good thing.
We just can't resist the sounds of Deepchord, aka Rod Modell, who seems to have mastered this sound, whatever 'this' sound is. Future dub, ambient cinematic techno, pop ambient futurism, whatever it is, it's a strange hybrid, that to these ears at least, sounds like a mix of late night Detroit techno, Pole style digidub, blissed out pop ambience and that murky washed out heroin house we love so much.
Which pretty much describes Hash-Bar Loops, as does the opening three song suite, perfectly displaying what Modell is so good at, unfurling a hazy bit of warm whirling ambience, wreathed in a layer of static that could be the sound of wind whipping over the hills, rain falling on city streets, or just hissy static... And from there it's a slow build over the three tracks, opener "Spirits" is all ghostly and spectral, "Stars" is where rhtyhmic elements first surface, a muted skitter and pulse mostly obscured by the hiss and hum, all beneath a warm wash of blurred melody and smeared soft focus ambience, until finally, "Sofitel" finds the hiss receding completely, leaving just a skeletal techno groove, the soundtrack to some strange dinner party, on a rooftop in this futuristic city.
The record drifts deamily from beat to drift, from rhythm to ambience, the two sides of the sound constantly fusing and intertwining, the record's finest moments when the balance is just right, the beat buried beneath warm billows of dreamlike sound. And then finally the record ends the way it began, with a three song suite that leads the listener into a blissed out drift, "Crimson" shuffles and swings, surrounded on all sounds by a blurred thrum, on "Black Cavendish" that thrum takes over, and gradually transforms into what sounds like a symphony of crickets, over a murky muted pulse, until finally "Neon And Rain" slips into full on dubbed out shoegaze, a warm whirling shimmer, laced with jagged bits of echoey effects, perfectly evoking as the title suggests, the glow of neon on a dark, rainy night...
Regular list readers will instantly recognize the name Deepchord, whose tripped-out, stoned version of minimal techno has filled the gap in our hearts left by the absence of the Chain Reaction and Basic Channel labels. Here at Aquarius, we've never really focused on techno as much as other genres, but our general interest tends to orbit somewhere out in the distance, near the intergalactic debris left in the wake of the rave. Detroit and Berlin minimalism, experimental noise makers Astral Social Club, or even the bedroom beats of Finland's Fricara Pacchu. However, this release bears witness to the side of Deepchord that we're really just less familiar with: actual techno. But, at least one of us has spent time digging through dance music crates looking for techno main players like Carl Craig, Kenny Larkin, or Kevin Saunderson. That's exactly where this tends to go, away from the celestial droniness of the majority of their work and back to the Detroit soil. As we listen, we're hearing a lot more of the city's second wave minimal tendencies, albeit married to the spacey grit of other Deepchord releases. In other words, this is a pretty seamless, thoughtful blend of what techno had going for it about 10 years ago, and what's happening now. It's actually really nice to hear this duo branch out a little from what they've been doing, and continue offering an exciting alternative to the now ubiquitous big-room, yawn-inspiring minimal techno that's been popping up the last couple of years. Fans of the project fear not, this isn't exactly a foray into trance synths and cheesy vocal samples of obvious classic soul or '80s pop songs. This is still instrumental, still experimental, and really pretty great. Fans of artists like both Sleeparchive and William Basinski can find something here to love too. Once again, Deepchord: recommended.
Recorded "live" in the studio, this recording expands on the "rock" side of Deerhoof-- those moments from "Reveille" that reminded us of the Who, with drummer Greg pounding mercilessly on his stripped down kit behind power chord outbursts. Those bits were sandwiched between more experimental fuckery, the whole thing rendered somewhat surreal by singer Satomi's high-pitched little-girl-on-acid vocals. On "Apple O," the damaged noise has been toned down somewhat to make way for the aforementioned rock, but there are also some very sweet, gentle and even romantic numbers, with acoustic guitar strum and a bit of lovely fragile falsetto from Greg. They even get jazzy for a minute (damaged Beefheart lounge jazzy, that is). Even amidst romantic sweetness, Deerhoof still retain a sense of the bizzarre, albeit an awfully cute kind of bizzarre. It's their balancing act between fucked-up noise and twisted yet adorable pop, crazy huge rock n' roll and vulnerable beauty that make Deerhoof the best band in San Francisco (at least in Marcy's opinion!). "Apple O" isn't as mind-bendingly amazing as "Reveille," but then it's difficult to repeat perfection. It's still super-awesome, and growing on me with every listen.
Thanks to RSD, back again on vinyl while they last. What we said when this first came out: Recorded "live" in the studio, this recording expands on the "rock" side of Deerhoof - those moments from Reveille that reminded us of The Who, with drummer Greg pounding mercilessly on his stripped down kit behind power chord outbursts. Those bits were sandwiched between more experimental fuckery, the whole thing rendered somewhat surreal by singer Satomi's high-pitched little-girl-on-acid vocals. On Apple O', the damaged noise has been toned down somewhat to make way for the aforementioned rock, but there are also some very sweet, gentle and even romantic numbers, with acoustic guitar strum and a bit of lovely fragile falsetto from Greg. They even get jazzy for a minute (damaged Beefheart lounge jazzy, that is). Even amidst romantic sweetness, Deerhoof still retain a sense of the bizarre, albeit an awfully cute kind of bizarre. It's their balancing act between fucked-up noise and twisted yet adorable pop, crazy huge rock n' roll and vulnerable beauty that make Deerhoof one of the best bands in San Francisco (at least in our opinion!). Apple O' isn't as mind-bendingly amazing as Reveille, but then it's difficult to repeat perfection. It's still super-awesome, and growing on us with every listen.
Another Deerhoof album that makes you feel hella psyched! Some of their last few outings have had a more breezy, almost psych-folk quality to them. Now on Breakup Song, the groove is back, though apparently the members aren't. They've all moved away from San Francisco and dispersed to the four corners of the country, it seems. Perhaps that's what the title is referencing. But even while separated by mountains, streams, cities, and suburbs, this uber-optimistic quartet still exudes the joy of creation. And with this their (can you believe it?) thirteenth record since drummer Greg Saunier formed the band as a duo in San Francisco in the mid-nineties, Deerhoof will take you dancing, dare we say, as some of these tracks are borderline funky, as with "There's That Grin", where Deerhoof sound like Parliament's grandbabies, as much a booty-shaker as it is way the heck out there. Songs like "Flower" carry some house inflections, while "To Fly Or Not To Fly" take off like a damaged club jam before it breaks down into some weird Rick James offshoot. There are bits of cha-cha and French pop mixed in there, too! Through it all, you still get the signature herky-jerky, spazzed-out Deerhoof rawk, the spacey musings of singer Satomi Matsuzaki, and the curious ability to insert small songs within greater songs and then go back to the main part and make you miss the little interloping part all the more. Where did it go? It's a neat trick that gets you putting their records on repeat.
Two tracks, "C" and "Surprise Symphony", from the beloved art damaged SF pop trio.
Not new, but we just got a bunch of this mysteriously hard-to-find debut lp from SF faves Deerhoof. Originally released in 1996, these recordings were eventually remastered and rereleased by Kill Rock Stars / 5RC as "The Man, The King, The Girl". But here it is again in all its lo-fi analog glory! For the unfamiliar, Deerhoof was born under the ashes of Nitre Pit, an SF quartet that
So weird and so wonderful! Man, if only the Krofft Supershow was still on the air Deerhoof would be the best house band ever. Sid and Marty's tweaked candy-colored tv show trips are the perfect visual match for this Bay Area band's sounds. Imagine taking your sugar-buzzed ears for a wild rollercoaster ride on which the loops and corkscrews are all twisted into such macrame knots that you lose all sense of which way is up! Delirious thrills and chills galore. Friend Opportunity continues on from where The Runners Four left off with even grander scale productions that wouldn't be at all out of place in some theatrical musical... a very psychedelic one, mind you! We heart Deerhoof!
For Green Cosmos, Deerhoof have kicked things up a notch on their already-deliciously frenetic art-rock quirk-o-meter, and they've done so in impressive style! They've not only branched off in ways that may appeal to a broader audience without alienating their old fans, but also locked into some more out-there planes. Quite a bit more melodic and composed, but also sorta like a tricked-out Beatles' "Revolution #9" mashed up with candy-coated anime soundtracks and of course some Capt. Beefheart and Melt-Banana too. At times very bizarre and epic with its grand assemlbage of tinkly toybox sounds, winky guitar stabs, tight rhythmic progressions and those pussycat-cooing vocals. You can easily imagine this accompanying a giant puppet show. Or if we were to compare it to an amusement park ride, it'd be some sorta mongrel mutant of a rollercoaster and a bumper car. Only seven songs (six new, two revised older ones "Come See The Duck" and "Byun") clocking in at around fifteen minutes, but oh such utterly splendid precision and chaos in every twisted adventure pop bite. Wheeeeeeeee!
Thanks to RSD, back again on vinyl while they last. What we said when this first came out: For Green Cosmos, Deerhoof have kicked things up a notch on their already-deliciously frenetic art-rock quirk-o-meter, and they've done so in impressive style! They've not only branched off in ways that may appeal to a broader audience without alienating their old fans, but also locked into some more out-there planes. Quite a bit more melodic and composed, but also sorta like a tricked-out Beatles' "Revolution #9" mashed up with candy-coated anime soundtracks and of course some Capt. Beefheart and Melt-Banana too. At times very bizarre and epic with its grand assemlbage of tinkly toybox sounds, winky guitar stabs, tight rhythmic progressions and those pussycat-cooing vocals. You can easily imagine this accompanying a giant puppet show. Or if we were to compare it to an amusement park ride, it'd be some sorta mongrel mutant of a rollercoaster and a bumper car. Only seven songs (six new, two revised older ones "Come See The Duck" and "Byun") clocking in at around fifteen minutes, but oh such utterly splendid precision and chaos in every twisted adventure pop bite. Wheeeeeeeee!
Menlo Park, after nearly four years, finally got it together and put out a way outdated second lp from SF art pop faves Deerhoof. Recorded before their sophomore "Holdypaws", prior to the inclusion of Kelly on keys, "Halfbird" continues on the abrasive path
2nd disc on KRS by this cult San Francisco outfit. Featuring one-half of the unfortunately underappreciated and thus long-gone Nitre Pit (who were a kind of Melvins-meets-Caroliner band), Deerhoof experiment with weird, angular, noisy, pop. Slightly reminiscent of the Thinking Fellers, with female vocals, surreal lyrics, and assorted other strangeness.
The first Deerhoof review we ever wrote, for their first cd release, 1997's The Man, The King, The Girl, read as follows: "Amazing blend of Caroliner sludge, and Melvins slop from this local groop. (Includes members of the late great Nitre Pit.)"
Ha. Look at 'em now. Something like a dozen albums later, Deerhoof, these days featuring fewer former members of Nitre Pit, are still at it, but probably nobody would mention the Melvins or Caroliner in reference to this record or other recent output. Sludge? Slop? Nope, more like pop! Still, amazing is the right word.
2014 Deerhoof, on La Isla Bonita, sound a bit like a funkier (rhythmically and perhaps otherwise) Flaming Lips, super duper poppy, with a mathy dash of Melt-Banana in there too - in part 'cause of Satomi Matsuzaki's Japanese accented, sometimes yelpy, sometimes breathy female vocals, but also 'cause of all the angular quirk and curious noise amidst the extremely rhythmic catchiness. Yeah, you don't have to be told that one of the main peeps in the band is the drummer, this can get pretty funky/groovy (though in an often off-kilter kind of way). Very cool! As always.
Not really new, but we have a more consistent supply than when this was first released. Koalamagic collects five tracks of live performances spanning various lineups between 1996 and 2000, two of which are longer, uncut sets. Countless fans have praised Deerhoof as one of the best live acts in America right now, hear what everyone's raving about! If you haven't already seen Deerhoof live, well, this won't necessarily make up for it, nor will it be completely indicative of how they are live now, but it's a nice document of what was and why you might want to get out of the house once in a while. Get this if only for their legendary, frenzied, uninterrupted twenty minute set from Club Hot! in 2000. And if you're still wondering what the heck this Deerhoof is we're talking about, I guess this live album isn't the release for you -- try their album Reveille (or at least read our review of it).
Nice single from AQ faves Deerhoof which has a different mix of "Matchbook Seeks Maniac" from their latest album Friend Opportunity and a b-side which is a charming and enchanting short track that displays their continued push towards even more vividly creative pop. A picture disc whose spinning colors match the brightness of Deerhoof's spirited sound.
Repressed and back in stock!!
Our original review: It is incredible that this prog damaged pop group from San Francisco, which thrives on simplicity, can continually create complexly playful and riddling compositions while maintaining a bashful earnestness that totally offsets any and all chances that their musical prowess and ingenuity will falter into the category of 'wank'. Through Deerhoof's ten year existence, there have been numerous changes in personnel and instrumentation, but even through these variables there is a solidarity and consistency in the songwriting that is uniquely Deerhoof. While not as wildly cacophonous and volatile as 1997's The Man The King The Girl, there has been a return of sorts here (as on last year's Apple O') to a certain looseness that had been held back on the lushly crafted Reveille. Milk Man, their sixth long player, maintains the taut rock sound perfected on Apple O' whilst introducing more sonically diverse elements to the everyday Deerhoof palette (most notably: crackling electronics, horns and/or woodwinds - is that a flute or a pocket trumpet on 'Milking'? - synthesizers and organs, and what sounds like to these ears, a Happy Apple*?) John Deiterich and Chris Cohen's awkwardly perfect harmonizations weave into Greg Saunier's John-French-by-way-of-Keith-Moon drum blasts, emblazoned with Satomi Matsuzaki's mesmerizing vocal ornaments on rockers like the opening title track, 'That Big Orange Sun Run Over Speed Light' and 'Milking'. The lovely 'Desaparecere' is an electronically backed number that evokes the Brazilian work of Joao and Astrud Gilberto (though the lyrics are in Spanish rather than Portuguese...). The previously released single 'C', is reprised here in all its hand-clapping and falsetto glory. As beautiful and bewildering as past releases, what I think shines through most on Milk Man is its cohesive solidarity as a single album.
*for those who are curious (like Allan, who had to ask), a Happy Apple was a children's toy made by Fisher Price in the seventies. It's basically a six inch tall plastic apple with a happy face that, when shaken, makes a pretty polyphonic "chiming bells" sound. Kinda like windchimes, but muted since the elements which makes the sounds are encased in plastic. If you crack one open, you'll see that it's a simple circular design of four or five metal rods of varying length, with a pendulum-like ball in the center that hammers at them when agitated. I have a few of 'em at home, I always pick them up at flea markets. No two sound exactly alike! Anyway, there are occasional chiming sounds on this new Deerhoof record that I suspect are in fact from a Happy Apple, but I could be wrong...
Three new songs of fractured pop dreaminess from the SF trio, including a cover of The Shaggs' "My Pal Foot Foot". Also features Jeff's favorite Deerhoof track, "Sunny Forty Fours", a stripped down prog-pop lullaby with heavy analog synth stylings! Released on XBXRX's Nothing Fancy Just Music label out of Mobile, Alabama.
Our long standing love affair with Deerhoof is still in full force after all these years. Not only do they continue to make fantastic and rewarding music, but they've managed to remain in touch with the wondrous spirit and deep creativity that made them so irresistible right from ther beginning. While their sound has been fleshed out and fine tuned over the years, they have not lost any of the unique and off kilter elements that made their music so special. They're perhaps the only band you can play for your two year old niece AND your weird druggy psychedelic uncle, and chances are they both would be bopping and bouncing and grinning like crazy and loving every sound coming out of the speakers.
Offend Maggie could just be their most effortless sounding outing to date, it's so cool that despite being such precise and proficient players they've found a way to make their songs jump, hop and skip through all sorts of wonderful shapes and colors without ever sounding self conscious. There is a delightful freedom and sense of play and wonder in these songs that has us falling in love with Deerhoof all over again. Much like the most recent outing by Stereolab, the songs on Offend Maggie really start blossoming after repeated listens and we're pretty sure we'll be spinning this over and over for the rest of the year. It's almost a decade since they were our little San Francisco secret, and now they've shared tours with the likes of Radiohead and The Flaming Lips, and earned a spot as one of the more popular and respected bands in the indie rock world while keeping their music so innovative and inspired and original!
Gosh. What can I say? This is absolutely the finest moment of Deerhoof's recorded output. At 34 minutes, there is absolutely no filler on Reveille: it is an astonishingly precise and accomplished half hour of some of the most challenging, interesting avant-rock we've heard in a long long time. Jeff loves this album so much he almost started a record label just to put it out! The local trio of Satomi Matsuzaki, John Dieterich and Greg Saunier are old school; you can hear in their music the lessons they learned from vintage Bay Area weirdos like Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 and Caroliner, and from the famously avant garde Mills College music program -- all of which have resulted in a great, eccentric band whose aesthetic is fully formed, mature and confident. Satomi's light, singsong vocal delivery (similar to Boredoms' Yoshimi, Blonde Redhead, Yoko Ono) careens from stereo left to stereo right, a dose of melody and almost j-pop sweetness that plays perfectly against the macabre repeating guitar lines and the great, unpredictable, muscular drumming. Sudden stops and starts punctuate eight minute songs against one minute collages of noisy audio squiggles. Much like the Thinking Fellers did, Deerhoof juxtaposes melodic passages against weighty, distorted guitar a la Sonic Youth; they rarely descend to all-too-easy verse/chorus/verse trad songwriting, yet amazingly enough the album is quite accessible. Experimental music that everyone can enjoy. Wonderful. This record is perfection.
In delicious kool-aid orange vinyl! The title of Deerhoof's first track on this 7", "Se Piangi, Se Ridi" -- translation: "If You Cry, If You Laugh", is a sparse number, with delicate but damaged vocals and an intermittant drum hit recorded so it sounds like someone's getting hit with a hammer. Almost like this song is more about the process than the final piece, which is nice, but it made me want to cry. Apparently, it's a collage-ish interpretation of an old Italian pop-song by MINA. On the flip side, "Strawberry Bananas" is a like a Turkish pop tune, Deerhoof style! It's pretty amazing. Like, a beautiful scoop of joy that sadly melts away like strawberry-banana flavoured ice cream...
Amazing blend of Caroliner sludge, and Melvins slop from this local groop. (Includes members of the late great Nitre Pit.)
This record is so much fun! It makes us feel as though we were eating mochi ice cream and then swinging from the monky bars with long lost friends. The Runners Four starts off a bit slooower than some earlier Deerhoof material, but that's not to say it's lacking at all...just less, how you say, hyperactive and chaotic. The Runners Four still has the child-like candy-bright sheen that you come to expect from Deerhoof, and it comes across as refreshing and lively. There is beauty in their animated quirkiness and their unique method of coloring/scribbling -- with passionate and precocious disorganization and wonderful semi-sensical flourishes -- a little outside the lines with every crayon in the box. Not as bold in its musical hopscotching as their previous Reveille album, but definitely recommended.
How do you make a record that is your most unique, ambitious and weird, but also your most accessible at the same time? How, after ten albums are you still able to create an album that sounds so damn refreshing, creative and full of new ideas? There aren't really answers to these questions, except for the fact that you are Deerhoof. How after all these years they've maintained their artistic creativity, yet been able to explore new avenues, techniques and approaches along the way, still boggles themind. With their first non Kill Rock Stars full length in almost a decade, Deerhoof make Polyvinyl proud with one of the most far reaching, exciting and enjoyable albums we've heard in ages.
Further pushing their love of sounds and music from across the globe, Vs. Evil finds Deerhoof taking those sounds and with them exploring an awesome psychedelic spy soundtrack vibe, as well as a twisted take on sparkling teenage pop music, all of which displays a band at their most sensual, surprising and innovative.
Deerhoof most deserve all the love and adoration they seem to be receiving, and we are hoping this is the record that will push them to that next level, alongside folks like The Flaming Lips, Radiohead, etc., as we can't think of a more creative or exciting band that has paid their dues and stayed true to their mission of all out creativity and sonic excellence!
First single from the beloved SF trio, back when they were a quartet, and before their new guitarist, who now plays bass... Heavy art sludge that retains elements of their Nitre Pit roots. The left and right channels are separate songs that can be listened to separately or combined. Plus, there's amazing etched art that covers the entire record -- you can even see it across the grooves,
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Super limited 7" from AQ faves Deerhoof and the new to us Kit. Deerhoof's two tracks are simple lo-fi noodle-y pop experiments, glitched out noise and instrument buzz give way to simple nursery rhyme melodies and stumbling chaotic indie pop. Throbbing bass, fuzzy organ, shouted vocals and BIG simple drums. Kit's three tracks are even more lo-fi, super distorted vocals buried under a hiss-heavy production, wild smears of feeding back guitars, pounding basement drums and indistinct white-noise riffs. Super limited. On purty green vinyl!
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Whoa, who has the hippest teachers in the universe? North Haven Community School! This sure wasn't a part of normal elementary school curriculum back when we were all whipper snappers, was it? Last year out in Maine, the kids at this small kindergarten to grade 12 school presented a ballet set to the music of Deerhoof's Milk Man album! Music and drama teacher Courtney Naliboff came up with the idea and transcribed the music and conducted the orchestra, while art and P.E. teacher Ken Jones took care of the choreography (which involves a rolling bowling ball among other things). Yes, it's adorable. Yes, the music is perfect for this age group. And yes, please allow a loose definition of the term 'ballet'. Think: more freely interpretive body movements than en pointe, plies and pirouettes. What an amazing way to take inspiration from the endlessly creative sounds of one of our favorite bands. Delightful for kids of all ages! This dvd is professionally shot and edited (or looks like it), looks great, sounds great, and is definitely fun to watch. The folks in Deerhoof must have been waaay stoked when they first saw this!!
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After leaving their longtime home at Kill Rock Stars, and ending up on Polyvinyl, this new split finds Deerhoof trying out some new ideas as they team up with the rapper Busdriver, for what could be a whole new project they are calling Hoofdriver. Interesting concept: inviting guest vocalist to add lyrics to some of their instrumental songs, which is what they do here with Reagan Farquhar aka Busdriver. The flipside is a new jam from a new band featuring members of the Mai Shi, called Physical Forms, and whose track is a very '90s indie rock/post punk throwback, while the Deerhoof (Hoofdriver) side doesn't sound much like anything we've heard from them before. Busdriver definitely brought in his own aesthetic and vision, which in its own weird way was a pretty good match for the twisted minimal art rock of Deerhoof... Curious to see where this project and future collaborations go!
A little somethin' to accompany your new Deerhoof Green Cosmos cdep! This split record delivers two suitably unpredictable tunes from that Bay Area band as well as a single more conventional guitar-driven song from Minneapolis based trio Sicbay. Deerhoof's music has always been heavy on the sharp angles and tightly knotted rhythms, and these songs are no exception if a bit moodier than we've come to expect from them. Pretty darn great!
The latest in Deerhoof's new 7" series where they invite up and coming artists to use one of their instrumental tracks as a backing track for their own vocals and lyrics, while the B side allows Deerhoof to remix one of their guests' tracks. This time out it's a group called Woom who get to create their own special something inside the magical landscape of Deerhoof's imagination. Woom, who are on the great Ba Da Bing label, have a very stripped down, and quirky approach to pop, sitting somewhere between Young Marble Giants and Tune-Yards. We think its really cool of Deerhoof to lend their name and presence to help lesser known bands get a wider audience, but in all reality this is much more a Woom 7" than it is a Deerhoof one.
All previous 7"s in this Deerhoof series have already gone out of print, so best to act fast if you want this one. Pressed on clear vinyl and includes a digital download.
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
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This band from Atlanta is sure to create quite a stir this year with their sophomore release and their first outing for Kranky. Don't be expecting the usual Kranky fare with this one, as Deerhunter posses a distinct flair for taking their music in all sorts of directions. As influenced by blissed out and spacey drones as they are rocking momentum and pop sensibility, it's kind of like an early Factory band doing covers of songs from the first couple U2 records. We could see this creating the same kind of refreshing splash that Broken Social Scene did a few years back as this is a record with enough texture to reel in more experimental minded folks but with enough pizzaz and sleek rock moments to win over the indie-rock crowd. Really good!
The popular Cryptograms record from Deerhunter is now available on vinyl as a double LP with includes their new 4-song EP Fluorescent Grey (the cd version of which is now available separately, we just got it in today so we'll give it listen and list it next time)!! But here's the review of Cryptograms if you missed it:
This band from Atlanta is sure to create quite a stir this year with Cryptograms, their sophomore release and their first outing for Kranky. Don't be expecting the usual Kranky fare with this one, as Deerhunter possess a distinct flair for taking their music in all sorts of directions. As influenced by blissed out and spacey drones as they are rocking momentum and pop sensibility, Deerhunter's kind of like an early Factory band doing covers of songs from the first couple U2 and R.E.M. records. We could see this creating the same kind of refreshing splash that Broken Social Scene did a few years back as this is a record with enough texture to reel in more experimental minded folks, but with enough sleek pizzazz and edgy rock moments to win over the indie-rock crowd. For fans of Trans Am, the sadly short-lived Beautiful Skin, and the much more earthbound late Man Or Astro-Man? Really good!
