Candied Pop

Manic, quirky, odd, fun, funky, strutting, nerdy are all adjectives that stick very well to Deerhoof’s latest, Friend Opportunity. The problem is that I really wanted to like this album for all the positive things I have read and heard from friends about the band as it appeared to be an ideal blend of Indie Pop and Prog Rock. Now, I’ve sat on this review for a couple of months (you might say I’ve been sitting on the site for the same amount of time!) in the hopes that repeated listens would spark something in me beyond a general sense of ennui. Sadly, no, the album did not ignite any passion in me.

This is not to say, however, that Friend Opportunity is a terrible release rather it is technically superior with tight compositions and production values and while all that is great it is a sort of empty intellectual exercise in music. What I think it is lacking is a dose of raw intensity. Take the opening track for instance with its buzzsaw Jon Spencer riff which just tears in and out in a self-conscious manner that is precisely orchestrated and much to clean both of which detract from its intended well-muscled angularity. Granted, precision is the hallmark of Prog Rock but as other bands have demonstrated you can be precise while still being impassioned and loose; give a listen to King Crimson’s “The Great Deceiver” or, for a more contemporary example, “Peter Criss Jazz” by Don Cabellero. Where the band excels, however, is in weaving together some pretty intricate rhythms, nesting heady percussion sections into machine like chopping guitar riffs, “Cast Off Crown” is a great example. “Galaxist” a short sweet track that soars, demonstrating the potential for an album unfortunately weighted down by pretense.

So while the album has some real bright spots and is definitely worth a listen it ultimately failed to captivate me. Take a sample of the album and judge for yourself as my opinion is in the minority (almost).

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 3rd, 2007 at 8:23 am and is filed under 2007, Album, Review. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.