I wasn't all that impressed with Deerhoof when I first heard them, and didn't really buy into the fuss around their 2007 release, Friend Opportunity. That's not to say that I don't think the band has any artistic merit, but that I just didn't appreciate the music myself. No surprise then that news of a new release didn't spark all that much interest in me, but there was one thing about the press release for their new record Offend Maggie that got me thinking maybe I should give them another go: "Offend Maggie represents another Deerhoofian high-water mark, even as it shows another abrupt shift in direction."
I was curious because Deerhoof is known for being virtually unclassifiable and never ones to rest on their laurels or past successes. When a band is willing to experiment with their sound (and I mean really experiment, as opposed to just having Brian Eno produce them) I'm always willing to give it a listen. Surprisingly enough, I kind of like what I'm hearing. And it's true, you can't really classify or categorize their sound, so there's no point in trying to do so. If you are already a Deerhoof fan, then you'll probably dig this; if you didn't like them before then this may be enough to change your mind; and if you aren't at all familiar with the band, don't use this track as a benchmark for the rest of their catalogue. Deerhoof are truly a band whose output can't be fit neatly into any box, nor can a single blog post do it justice.
"Offend Maggie"
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