Deerhoof - The Runners Four

Deerhoof
The Runners Four
[Kill Rock Stars, 2005]

What was once discordant, manic art-rock has now become... discordant, manic art-rock with a heavier beat. While not quite a complete break with their previous seven full-lengths, The Runners Four definitely has more of a rock and roll bite to it. Bass-heavy melodies, like that found in ‘Midnight Bicycle Mystery’, and single string smash riffs like “Rrrrrrright’ and ‘Scream Team’ signal Deerhoof’s usual tricks. On The Runners Four, however, the band’s typically angular nature is softened a bit. Gone are the weird noise poems of last year’s Milkman, replaced by the more straight-up drum-and-guitar rock anthems of ‘You Can See’, ‘Wrong Time Capsule’, and ‘Twin Killers’. Bassist/vocalist Satomi Matsuzaki keeps her melodic instincts on the cute side – ‘Spy on You’ is akin to the second grade singalongs ‘Dog on the Sidewalk’ and “Come See The Duck’ from previous releases. The Runners Four maintains the mysterious beauty of Deerhoof’s previous work, but with a longer tracklisting and more easily digested material, the album might signal their entry into the indie mainstream.

MP3: Deerhoof , "Twin Killers"