Deerhoof will battle evil at Europa on Tuesday night
Europa Club
98 Meserole Ave. at Manhattan Ave.
Tuesday, February 8, $16, 8:00
718-383-5723
www.myspace.com/deerhoof
www.europaclub.com
Deerhoof once again comes to the rescue of the stagnant music world with their latest album, DEERHOOF VS. EVIL (Polyvinyl, January 2011). Following in the footsteps of such previous experimental noise-pop records as THE MAN, THE KING, THE GIRL (1997), REVEILLE (2002), and FRIEND OPPORTUNITY (2007), Deerhoof — John Dieterich, Ed Rodriguez, Greg Saunier, and Satomi Matsuzaki — do what they do best, taking listeners on a twelve-song, thirty-three-minute journey through a multitude of crazy sounds, hard-to-decipher lyrics, and offbeat, ever-shifting melodies that delight while they confound. In songs such as the opener, “Qui Dorm, Només Somia” and “Hey I Can,” it’s as if they’ve added some toys to the mix. Spanish guitar is featured on “No One Asked to Dance,” while beautiful blasts of noise explode in “Behold a Marvel in the Darkness” and “Secret Mobilization.” “The Merry Barracks” goes through so many changes you’ll think your iPod is suddenly shuffling between different bands. Matsuzaki’s dreamy vocals are often more like another instrument, even when she intones, “I’m just a dream, you see” in “Must Fight Current.” The fuguelike “Almost Everyone, Almost Always” brings things to a close, marking the defeat of Evil. “Me to the rescue, me to the rescue,” Matsuzaki sings in “Super Duper Rescue Heads!” Deerhoof will continue rescue proceedings February 8 at Europa with Ben Butler & Mousepad, Buke and Gass, and Nervous Cop. Deeerhoof will also be part of the JapanNYC Festival, playing March 14 at (le) poisson rouge with special guests, including one-man band Ichi and Yuka Honda and Petra Haden of If by Yes.