Friend Opportunity

Deerhoof’s music became more accessible

A few decades ago such bands as King Crimson or Yes were much appreciated for their musical experiments, these art-rock bands achieved a great success even regardless that fact that almost every release they did along with a good part was accompanied by a strange pieces which were too weird and thus too boring. A naked, rehearsed improvisation of unknown origin has rarely had a chance to find its place even in the hearts of the craziest music lovers. But if an art rock band manages to combine their searches with more popular styles the general effect can exceed any expectations. Deerfoot - an experimental band from San Francisco, which has accomplished a 13-years-long way from unconventional in all senses of this word musical anarchy to their special style, is getting really close to a level accessible to philistines now. Their eighth album Friend Opportunity demonstrates that the musicians have finally shifted to the comprehensible rock music. Take the most characteristic features of indie bands add some vocals with a childish like timber and you will get what Deerfoot prepared this time.

Nine close to pop-rock songs and one 15-minutes instrumental

A complex structure of Deerhoof’s songs, an unusual way of performance and a raw sound, which in this case is also a component of the overall view, made them a reputation of musical nihilists, who deny any communication with the external world. But the band just couldn’t help disproving this opinion and showing that they can make pop music too. Friend Opportunity presents nine close to pop-rock songs and one 15-minutes instrumental journey into the music jungle. Probably it was pop oriented sounding that the band wanted to achieve but the resulting effect turned out to be much more exciting. The opening track, The Perfect Me is a lively song with plenty of keyboards and drum breaks. Two and a half minutes of its playtime flash through your ears as a clot of energy even despite that the song’s time is periodically changing. +81 is a calmer piece, the musicians decided to use the power of wind instruments here but they just couldn’t refrain from filling it with a number of art-rock bridges. Matchbox Seeks Maniac can be considered as one of the most accessible and interesting songs: four-four time, no complex lyrics, no uncommon chord progressions, and though there are only vocals and sounding left from Deerhoof here, it is worth admitting that they managed to create another song that sounds like no one’s else but Deerhoof.

Friend Opportunity is the most interesting and complete record from Deerhoof to date

It is a well-known fact that a basis of any song lies in its melody, which is usually performed by a singer. Probably, if it were not for vocals of Satomi Matsuzaki who is also takes a position of a bass guitar player, the whole record would sound too saturated, a listener could just get lost in intensively interchanging music themes. The voice here serves as a central rod, it caries a uniting idea and doesn’t let the composition fall into pieces. And moreover, Satomi possesses a rarely met voice timbre, which sounds like a little girl’s sinning and a heavy accent what adds a special grain to the band’s general sounding. But, as usual, there is a hidden danger here. Her voice sounds so uncommonly that it may become a barrier on the band’s way to a foot-stomping rock. The more standards a song has, the more Satomi loses her joining function. She is perfect in creating of unreal, psychedelic images in the complex songs, but easily loses her daintiness in the simplest places. But nevertheless Friend Opportunity is the most interesting, complete and applying record of Deerhoof to date. If you are not familiar to this band yet then it is the best time to meet them, as it is impossible to predict what Deerhoof will do next time.