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Deerhoof Tramples Chicago with Joy |
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Written by MIKE GREEN
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Wednesday, 28 February 2007 |
“Bang your head to your favorite song; it’s very mechanical,” Deerhoof singer/bassist Satomi Matsuzaki proclaimed in the opening song, “The Eyebright Bugler.” For the next hour, heads banged in euphoria as the power trio was precise—like a machine—but they were nothing if not spontaneous. Guitarist John Dieterich and drummer Greg Saunier had seizures over their instruments, while the Japanese-born Matsuzaki sang catchy tunes of Dadaist wordplay.
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Deerhoof
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 Entertainment
Art
The Metro
Chicago, Ill.
January 27, 2007
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They recently released their latest album, Friend Opportunity, on January 23, and a few days later brought their chaotic noise-pop to Chicago’s Metro.
Two years ago, Deerhoof played to twelve people on a sprawling Indiana plain; this time they brought their infinite imagination to a sold-out, all ages venue. The crowd was mostly bug-eyed folks under 20, which complemented Deerhoof’s youthful energy. Before they walked onstage, the crowd lingered in anticipation similar to the way anxious kids feel right before they open gifts. Then Saunier cracked the snare drum and Dieterich followed with galactic, dissonant chords. They pummeled through half their new album—“+81” and “The Perfect Me” being in a utopian world’s Top 40—and played an even selection from their last four albums. Matsuzaki’s coos and steady bass blended with Dieterich’s guitar orgy of Sonic Youth, Hendrix, and Ornette Coleman, while Saunier bashed his pink kit like a hip-hop Keith Moon. They endlessly searched for the balance between composition and improvisation, between melody and dissonance.
They raced through songs, favoring medleys over traditional rock-show banter. Matsuzaki didn’t speak much, but Saunier bashfully thanked the audience and encouraged the soundman to open the friendship bracelet that he gave to him earlier. Matsuzaki did put down her bass to dance for “Kidz are so Small”—something like an art-school duck dance. Most of all, this playfulness shined through the throbbing hip-hop verses, free jazz bridges, and power-pop choruses. This was addictive music--stuff that left the audience in a dizzying joy.
Even though their songs were drugs, Deerhoof didn’t come off as escapists or romanticists. Their encore was moodier than the rest of the set; it included “Hallelujah Chorus,” the gorgeous hymn that closes Reveille. Lastly, they launched into a medley that began with the meandering “Look Away” and ended with the beautifully frightening “The Last Trumpeter Swan.” The audience was bewildered, feeling a little more innocent than when they entered the Metro.
Deerhoof’s concerts can be an escape from reality, but that’s a cop-out; rather, their blend of noise and pop is American schizophrenia and the hope that is possible in everyday life. Powered by AkoComment 2.0! |
