By Terry Quinn
Deerhoof’s latest release finds a happy medium between the reverb-flecked, art rock leanings they have built much of their sound around and the nuanced, ADD-informed pop structures of their 2007 release, Friend Opportunity.
On Deerhoof vs. Evil this balance allows a collection of songs that can stand strong on their own attributes to fuse together into a seamless experience upon a full listen.
This can be immediately recognized in the transition from the playful opening track, “Qui Dorm, Només Somia” to its progression building follow up, “Behold a Marvel in the Darkness.”
The two flow into each other in a way that is reminiscent of Radiohead’s, “Paranoid Android”. Filling out the rest of the album are such standouts as “The Merry Barracks”, a funk inclined, reverb-based guitar romp, as well as more electronic leanings such as the zany, “Super Duper Rescue Heads !” and the synth heavy closing track, “Almost Everyone, Almost Always”. Well crafted and intelligently designed, Deerhoof vs. Evil pulls all the right elements from the band’s already diverse canon and manages to create something new from them. If you haven’t checked Deerhoof out yet, Deerhoof vs. Evil is a great place to start.
Deerhoof – Behold a Marvel in the Darkness by Polyvinyl Records
