MIRACLE-LEVEL

Deerhoof has been "keepin it boxy and harsh since 1994" and their 18th studio album, "Miracle-Level" is another exciting new offering in their quirky oeuvre. It has everything that makes a typical Deerhoof album: John and Ed's guitars falling in and out of harmony, Satomi's happy singing style and bass work, and of course, Greg Saunier's wild unpredictable drumming driving the band from section to section.

On this album, the band ditched their typical home recording methods and recorded the album in a proper recording studio. One week to record, one week to mix, and they came up with this. It does have a slightly cleaner sound to it, particularly in the drums, and the guitars have that controlled garage band feel, but it still sounds like Deerhoof doing what they do best. The change didn't stop them from leaving their comfort zone and staying their wild, experimental selves. Another notable distinction about this album is that all the songs are sung in Japanese. Satomi is from Japan, and has sang some Deerhoof songs in Japanese, but to do it for a whole album shows their willingness to try anything new.

How does it fare? Opener "Sit Down, Let Me Tell You a Story" sets the tone with its playful, march-like rhythms, and Greg's punchy snare trudging along. This is followed by "My Lovely Cat!", a "typical" Deerhoof song... until it isn't. The little ritardando 3 minutes in really builds the tension. After this, the band slows down a little, with the next two songs in a more laid back tempo. It seems they're trying to go for the more mellow side of things, like on "The Little Maker" which has a lounge vibe to it (plus that slick 60s psychedelic groove!), and the title track and "Wedding, March, Flower", which are classically-inspired piano ballads. But when they really wanna rock, they certainly do. "And the Moon Laughs" fires up fast and gets loud with the twin guitars churning out a sweet melody. "Momentary Art of Soul!" has a shuffle beat and a hypnotic, complex arrangement accented with a horn section in the middle to make it soar. "Phase Out All Remaining Non-Miracles by 2028" (great title) throws in all of the aforementioned to create the standout track on the album. Of course, Satomi's singing hasn't faltered and even in Japanese she brings some extra excitement to the arrangements.

It's got everything that makes a Deerhoof album, and will satisfy longtime fans. For them, everything is an influence, and listening to some of the artists that inspired this one is also recommended after listening to this. They might even be the most open-minded band out there. Go Deerhoof go!

One of San Francisco's most unclassifiably bizarre bands that has been cranking out the indie noise rock / arty math pop and experimental creativity since 1994, DEERHOOF continues to bedazzle its fanbase with one strangely alienating yet awesomely alluring album after another and now in 2023 we are treated to the band's 18th album MIRACLE-LEVEL which has been released on the appropriately named Joyful Noise label.

Anyone familiar with this strange chimeric beast of a band will surely be enamored by lead vocalist Satomi Matsuzaki who has been on board since nearly the beginning. Her cute Japanese cheerleader type vocals reminiscent of bands like Melt Banana and a gazillion similarly minded bands from Japan would make you believe that DEERHOOF indeed emerged from the land of Godzilla and sushi but the fact is that this band falls outside the perimeters of just about any other out there and spawned in the diverse sectors of San Francisco, CA.

MIRACLE-LEVEL continues the zany math rock jitteriness tamed by Matsuzaki's pacifying vocal style and on this album she performs the entire album in her native Japanese language so if there were ever to be a complete blurring of cultures on a DEERHOOF album, this is the one to offer the most confusion. Fouinder Greg Saunier has tamed downed considerably since the band's anarchic beginnings that excelled at pure adrenalized noise and now true melodies are nurtured into pleasing compositions but of course it wouldn't be a DEERHOOF album if there weren't noisy guitar riffs, occasional spastic time signature bombast and just plain losing control.

This album plays more like a Japanese math pop rock album with herky jerky instrumentation providing the backdrop for Matsuzaki's controlled vocal performances. Instrumental parts such as the "Jet-Black Double-Shield" display the wilder side of off-tune guitar antics tackling the expected DEERHOOF weirdness with outbursts of ultrasonic noise as a satisfying crescendo. The title track which follows takes a complete 180 and features a subdued vocal performance sounding like something more traditional in the Japanese history books. While balance has never been DEERHOOF's forte, MIRACLE-LEVEL has a more even keel sense of tightness and control over past endeavors.

DEERHOOF has proven that an uncompromising experimental approach can yield a multi-decade career and although this band is exactly a household name, this San Francisco outfit remains a favorite in the noise pop underground and shows no sign of letting up. MIRACLE-LEVEL shows an entirely new side of the band and one that frankly i'm surprised hasn't been explored before given Matsuzaki's linguistic skills. What makes this one even weirder is that although the lyrics are in the Japanese language, the track titles are in English. That's DEERHOOF for ya, always looking for the weirder angle to take.