You never know what you’ll be served by the mighty Deerhoof – will it be the melancholic strangeness of Milk Man, or the effervescent avant pop of Vs Evil? With The Magic, it’s both, and more. It’s widescreen Deerhoof, but still with that experimental side.
It’s Deerhoof at angles, which is to be expected. This album makes you want to bounce on your heels, or stare in contemplative mood, out of train windows. You’ll never find a cliche or boring moment with this band, they were mixing intoxicating genre cocktails when others played it simple.
‘Dispossessor ‘ is like stadium rock, chewed up and spat out. ‘Criminals Of The Dream’ offers woozy hope, with Satomi cooing, “Dream you can dream, you can dream/ Things aren’t as bad as they seem”. There’s even a shimmery cover of I Don’t Want To Set The World On Fire.
Beautiful and spiky, off and wiry, Deerhoof are just Deerhoof – that’s all you need. They are unique, complex, and can’t be found in the usual outlets.
Hit The North 