Album Of The Week: Deerhoof’s The Magic

Consistency should be a band’s main objective. No artist wants to be known for putting out only a few gems during an extensive career. San Francisco act Deerhoof blends punk, psychedelia, art rock and a whole lot of experimentalism for an uncanny sound. They’ve been doing it in a DIY  fashion since the mid-90s and their 13th studio album, The Magic, lives up to its name. The record is a testament to a prolific band who are always pushing themselves to attain something new and different.

There’s always this groove present with Deerhoof, but the way its presence is felt varies from song to song. It all equates to whoever is listening actually feeling the music within their entire being; dancing is contagious once you press play. In The Magic, the band reaches out to the weirdo in all of us. No matter their music taste, every listener is bound to like something about Deerhoof, whether it’s Greg Saunier’s beats on drums, Satomi Matsuzaki’s unique voice or the shredding courtesy of guitarists John Dieterich and Ed Rodriguez.

What’s most impressive about Deerhoof? Is it how they’ve done everything on their own terms for over 20 years? What about the number of albums they’ve put out over that time? Could it be how they’ve never been stagnant with their music? Maybe it’s a combination of those three. Let’s delve into more of that with my top tracks off the Album Of The Week.

With Dieterich on vocals, “Dispossessor” is epic and electrifying with Dieterich and Rodriguez scorching chords from start to finish. Non-stop riffage is abundant while starting a fire in the eardrums. Matsuzaki brings it on bass with “Life Is Suffering,” but it also brings out the band’s atmospheric pop edge, and her vocals combined with Saulnier’s create instant harmony. “Plastic Thrills” is surfy as hell, exuding a ’60s pop vibe that you find in a lot of today’s underground tunes.

Deerhoof are about to embark on a tour of the West Coast and the Midwest starting at Revolution Hall in Portland, Oregon on July 7. The band just finished the New England leg of their tour, but they will be performing at Roots Picnic 2016 in New York City on October 2 if people want to make the trip. Until they come through your friendly neighborhood music venue, grab a copy of The Magic from Deerhoof. Let these dynamos show you their bag of tricks and get hooked.

Stream Deerhoof’s The Magic on Bandcamp: deerhoof.bandcamp.com/album/the-magic; Deerhoof’s Website: deerhoof.net