| ||
|
Deerhoof is non-definable. At once, The Runners Four" finds this prolific Oakland group incorporating noise, free jazz, dub, lounge, surf and the best work of The Rolling Stones and The Velvet Underground in such a way that it sounds as if a friend is playing it you through a tin-can phone. They also manage to smash all conventions associated with any of those styles and invent something that is entirely unique. Deerhoof opt for a slightly more structured atmosphere for these songs in theory, but twist, mute and transmigrate them at will. The repetitious guitar parts and both block out the melody (similar to Bud Powell's keyboard comping, oddly) and offer free runs that Satomi Matsuzaki's vocals echo and battle, usually simultaneously. "Scream Team" is as close as Deerhoof will probably ever come to a pop masterpiece, yet it is as beautiful and intricate as the best tracks on Brian Wilson's Smile. In a time when "angular" is a corporate buzzword eating up independent bands like air, Deerhoof makes the meaning literal. Their melody lines seem written with a protractor or compass, not a ruler. It is 2005 and Deerhoof is the new "only band that matters". Reviewed by: Chris Bock |
