Deerhoof - Deerhoof vs Evil
http://deerhoofvsevil.com/
There are times when my mind wanders, gets twisted into knots, or lags
itself into a funk, and it quietly whispers, “Kid, you need some
music, right now.” And I concur with that observation, which leads me
to thinking of what could kick start my mood best: something upbeat
and catchy to chisel a smile out of a frown? A collage of
experimental quirkiness that begs for headphones? Maybe well-crafted
songs with lyrics that delve into the profundities of life? Then,
just as my headache is exacerbated from pondering what sound
concoction will fix the ailment, a name from the past pops up. It is
then that I remember the band that has covered all of those bases
consistently over the years and I get some Deerhoof pumping through
the nearest available sound system.
Deerhoof have etched out a singular encapsulating sound to house many
musical extremes. They bounce from an indie rock backbone, sooth with
the hypnotically sweet lyricism of Satomi Matsuzaki and hushed hum of
John Dieterich, all along willing to delve into sonic experimentation.
Where an album could playfully exude Satomi’s cheery Japanese affect
onto something simple like shooting a basketball, it can quickly turn
into a maelstrom of distorted guitars and swirling synthesizers. With
their tenth studio album, "Deerhoof vs Evil," all of this wonderment
is present.
The album finds Deerhoof continuing their brand of deceptively
straightforward songs; you could listen to most of the tracks
once-over and have a pleasant experience, but upon closer examination
the depth of craftsmanship reveals itself. The lyrics are
introspective, questioning and appraising life, love, and a person’s
place in the world, though done so in a number of unusual ways. Take
a song like “Qui Dorm, Només Somia,” wherein Satomi asks the immortal
Dracula (in his native Catalan language, no less) his opinion on the
brevity of life. It is an album full of symbolic comparisons, with
“Behold A Marvel in the Darkness” looking to the moon’s constantly
shifting placement as a barometer for love’s inconsistency (“That old
moonlight won’t add up right”). There is the jubilant-sounding “Super
Duper Rescue Heads!” where Satomi is happy in her indecision; she
seeks to rescue, be rescued, to get away, but ends up realizing that
she will “never be alone.” Some songs carry the theme of fighting
evil, wherein “The Merry Barracks” calls on “cameras and generals” to
rise up and sing. “I Did Crimes For You” plays off a Robin Hood theme,
chiming in as some pixie-voiced criminal that may sound cute and
diminutive but all the while is trying to incite rebellion. And there
are songs of distance, like a couple divided between romantic longing
and a pressing for separation in “Must Fight Current,” or John
Dieterich’s haunting album ender “Almost Everyone, Almost Always” and
it’s narrator’s unwilling separation from the world around him, be it
people in bow ties or someone just outside in the hallway.
Listening to this album brings me so much joy in its variety. It’s
akin to using a splintered yet coherent mix of sounds to counteract a
world that sometimes seems incoherent and chaotic. It may not be all
happy and easy or dark and obtuse, but some of the best things in the
world are a cultivated amalgam of both. Above all it is beautiful,
and it will bring me solace for years to come.
-J P
