Deerhoof – Offend Maggie

Deerhoof
Offend Maggie
killrockstars

Deerhoof have never been traditionalists. The quartet’s vocalist sings in a Japanese-English hybrid, their drummer uses a child-sized drum kit, and this summer the band purposely leaked the sheet music for their new album’s single to fans which lead to countless versions of the song being available months before its official release.

Formed in San Francisco in 1995, Deerhoof consists of classically trained drummer Greg Saunier, vocalist and bassist Satomi Matsuzaki, guitarist John Dieterich, and new guitarist Ed Rodriguez who joined the band as a full-time member in February. “Offend Maggie,” Deerhoof’s newest offering for the killrockstars label, is their most streamlined album to date. Old-school fans of the band may have a hard time wrapping their head around a sleeker Deerhoof, but with “Offend Maggie,” they’ve toned down their forays into spastic art-rock and created a more easily digested and ultimately more satisfying sound.

On “Offend Maggie,” the band manages to walk the fine line between classic riff-rock of The Who and Led Zeppelin while not completely dismissing their experimental and progressive nature. Gone are the crooked song structures and chaotic sonic outbursts from past albums such as 1999’s “Holdy Paws” or 2002’s “Reveille,” and in their stead are a group of 14 tightly focused tunes that never seem wandering or self-indulgent.

“The Tears and Music Of Love,” which erupts with a bombastic fretboard workout, is possibly the most straight forward rock track the band has ever produced, but it’s the song’s playful moments such as the hide-and-seek guitar licks that mimic Matsuzaki’s vocals that keep it fresh and not dated.

With many current rock groups such TV On The Radio and The Flaming Lips taking full advantage of heavy production and even using the studio as an instrument, Deerhoof have decided against that approach on “Offend Maggie.” Almost every song is a clutter free experience in which the instruments are completely distinct from one another and offer extreme clarity. Matsuzaki’s voice still works as more of an instrument because of her lack of discernible and often nonsensical lyrics, but here she finally seems to embrace the role of the frontwoman with her voice being pushed up to the front of the mix.

“Chandelier Searchlight” follows a thick bass riff and tin can guitar strumming to a heart-warming “la-la-la-la” chorus. The lead single “Fresh Born,” of which 35 fan-made versions can be heard on the band’s website, begins with a swaying waltz tempo that gives way to a deranged funk riff until suddenly shifting into a stop-and-go drum heavy chorus. One of the album’s most pop-like moments comes in “Basketball Get Your Groove Back,” which, in one of the oddest band-meets-sports song pairings in recent memory, features Matsuzaki singing about rebounds and bunnies over a deep blues guitar line that would not be out of place on a Foghat record.

One of Deerhoof's undeniable trademarks is the setting of mood or emotion in a song. In "Offend Maggie," they do this quite often by opening a song with a big guitar riff or introductory section that acts almost as an overture would to a symphony. It sets either a dramatic tension, "My Purple Past," or a delicate happy-go-lucky feel such as in "Snoopy Waves."

Still Deerhoof could not completely forgo their experimental and art-rock tendencies. “This Is God Speaking,” the only song on the album that features any electronic flourishes, is a mix of white noise, steel drums, and what sounds like Matsuzaki rambling through a broken telephone line. Then there is the frantic “Eaguru Guru” in which guitarists John Dieterich and Ed Rodriguez show off their guitar virtuosity that made the 2003 album “Apple O’” such a success. Even though Deerhoof are hardly the band to ever make political statements, "Eaguru Guru" features Matsuzaki singing "Red and white and blue/Probe deep inside/be collosal," which appears to be a topical statement among the staccato riffs. Eventually the song comes to a full halt and, in one of the album's most abrasive moments, starts again with a distortion drenched lightening riff until a thunderous drum-guitar climax brings the tune full circle.

What Deerhoof have done on “Offend Maggie” is successfully create a 21st century classic rock album. The big riffs and the huge drums are there, but instead of the classic sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll motif, Deerhoof offer an innovative approach that’s more enlightening than desensitizing.

- Richard Giraldi


"The Tears and Music Of Love"



"Fresh Born"



Fresh Born Sheet Music





"Chandelier Searchlight"