Offend Maggie

iTunes Review

San Francisco’s Deerhoof, known for their brand of indie art-rock, have finally found a groove, it seems, and when the stellar track “The Tears of Music...” opens things up with a huge bang —  a full-on, alt-rock song driven by a pounding, resonant kick drum and chewy chunks of guitars — you wonder for a minute if they’ve gone too far.  “Chandelier Searchlight” also finds a tightly grooved rhythm to hang its hat on, and after a few tempo changes and adjustments, merges back into the flow, with Satomi Matsuzaki's breathy, child-like chorus as inviting as freshly swirled cotton candy. Don’t panic: lest you think Deerhoof has given in to the allure of commercial accessibility, just tune into “Buck and Judy,” and you’ll find yourself back in the inner sanctum of the band’s eclectic mindset: twenty seconds in, and a sudden blast of power tool fizz assaults the listener, but it quickly retreats and gives way to looping piano, ascending guitar notes vibrating with reverb, and a haunting chorus from Matsuzaki. From there on, you’ll find tempos and structures you can actually dance to, alongside charmingly erratic arrangements and melodies, and somehow this team playing works to deliver the goods.