Deerhoof: Friend Opportunity

Deerhoof: Friend Opportunity
Kill Rock Stars: 1/23/2007

Friend Opportunity is as impenetrable as anything Deerhoof has done since I have been following them, but strangely more accessible. Deerhoof have never gotten any less weird, but their songs are catchier and take less effort to enjoy with each successive album. It's still difficult, if not impossible, to identify any particular songwriting approach in their music. Each song barely hangs together, and it seems that a light breeze could make it all fall apart. Tempos jerk forward and abruptly decelerate, simulating the sensation of riding in a car with a clogged fuel filter. However, these are among the most melodic songs Deerhoof have ever made. Fittingly, Friend Opportunity's charm lies in contradictions that are surprising even for Deerhoof, whose career is built on paradoxy.