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Jun 20, 2016 Deerhoof By Billy Hamilton

Ever since the release of Deerhoof vs. Evil in 2009, the normally rambunctious San Francisco ensemble has seemed somewhat restrained. The improvisation that punctuated Milk Man and The Runner’s Four has vanished. Instead, the contents of Breakup Song and La Isla Bonita brought about a purer, more consistent reliance on melody.

Admittedly, even a more dulcet Deerhoof are never likely to become a wholly pristine pop combo. The theatrical shrill of Satomi Matsuzaki and avuncular percussion of Greg Saunier are always likely to serve up a sonic curveball or 12. And while the sounds may seem softer, the technical prowess has always remained.

Perhaps deliberately offsetting that tilt in such a polished direction, new album The Magic is a scruffier, more serrated affair. Over the course of 15 songs, the band surge through a stream of hexagonal thrusts such as opener “The Devil and His Anarchic Surrealist Retinue” and the guttural high-rising funk of “Debut.”

But, there’s no escaping a diminishing ability to knock listeners to the floor. “That Ain’t No Life for Me” and “Plastic Thrills” are intense barbs of drum and fuzz that have no interest in deviating from this well-worn method. The tedium doesn’t end there: “I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire” is little more than passive jazz bar fluff, and “Little Hollywood” is a sprawling, graceless mess.

At least closer “Nurse Me” manages to inject a blast of life into proceedings with its synapses-scorching time signatures and Matsuzaki’s maniacal bellows. It’s hardly enough to save an album that does its best, but never comes close to recreating the impromptu, brilliant chaos of the past. (www.deerhoof.net)

Author rating: 5.5/10