Deerhoof is a group based out of San Francisco who, for the most part, have put out albums filled with abstract ideas of rock music people in the business call art rock."" As a result, their albums are usually filled with riffs and beats that over-think themselves, leaving the listener with snippets of brilliance and an assortment of intelligent sounds.
But the reason fans should be interested in their newest project, Offend Maggie, is that instead of taking those abstract ideas of rock and stringing them together to make an album of structured sounds, they took their ideas and developed them into actual rock songs. The result was a fresh, distinct sound that creates toe-tapping melodies and intriguing song structures.'""'""
Although they have not achieved transcendence on Offend Maggie, they have found their stride with this album that displays the band's development over the last decade.
The opener, ""The Tears and Music of Love,"" begins with a guitar riff that starts and stops on a dime, immediately drawing listeners in and forcing them to tap their toes. It transitions into a more fluid riff for the second half of the song while still recalling the staccato style established earlier, keeping the listener engaged in the song whole.'""'""
The distinct riffs that start the first song and then build throughout the album become a prevalent pattern. Sometimes the opening does not seem like it fits with the rest of the instruments that cover it, but Deerhoof continuously proves on Offend Maggie that they have learned to walk the fine line between excess noise and accompaniment.'""'""
For instance, on the title track they begin with an immediately entertaining, yet technical, acoustic intro. However, throughout the song they bury the riff under beats and rhythms that seem out of place. Yet, they bury it just far enough out of earshot to make it work without letting listeners forget where the song started. Not to mention they bury it under one of their most accessible, charming songs.'""
The best song on the album is ""Don't Get Born."" This short, acoustic piece displays the many contexts within which Deerhoof can harness their sound's appeal, a complex, yet simple acoustic melody. However, it is only a glimpse of a song at 49 seconds, so soak it up fast, as it is still one of the highlights of the album.'""'""
After 12 years of releasing albums, Deerhoof has finally harnessed their potential to release music that can appeal to the crowds, not just the dedicated followers willing to sift through the noise to find the brilliance. It would be a shame if nobody was still around and paying attention to hear it.
