owl and bear

2006, Kill Rock Stars

I apologize in advance to the hipster mafia, but someone in Deerhoof needs an Adderall prescription.

Are Deerhoof here to rescue indie rock’s sorry ass with jerky rhythms, helter skelter guitar, and the cutest vocals this side of Joanna Newsom, or are they here to make insecure music snobs more pretensious?

The members of Deerhoof are extremely talented instrumentalists. They play well. Each composition is rhythmically complex. Each is challenging. People will be rightfully excited by this. I’mjustnotone ofthose people. The songs are. Toochoppy.

The album was a chore to listen to. I wished that, once in a while, they’d pick a theme and stay with it. Don’t get me wrong, I love diversity, genre jumping, and even the carefully-reasoned eschewing of convention. Friend Opportunity has all of this, just too much.

As for singer Satomi Matsuzaki’s voice, well, something about it made me want to track her down, wash her face, and find her a good home.

C+