Deerhoof “Deerhoof vs. Evil”

Deerhoof’s eleventh album, Deerhoof vs. Evil, comes about two and a half years after their last effort. In that time, the bands charm and influence weighed heavy on Dirty Projectors applauded album Bitte Orca; but where DP are more of a straightforward accessible band, Deerhoof give way to any sort of logic. ‘Hey I Can’, wanders back and forth between simple melodies to spazzed out instrumental breaks, while ‘Let’s Dance The Jet’ (their obscure cover from a Greek film soundtrack) is slotted in as more of an interlude on an album which only clocks in at 33 minutes. The record is a DIY affair too – the band self-recorded everything and strayed away from allowing any outside input. The result is a more twisted version of their already contorted art-pop. – Hear these now: ‘Behold A Marvel In The Darkness’, ‘The Merry Barracks’, ‘Super Duper Rescue Heads’, ‘Hey I Can’. [C+]