Album Review: Deerhoof - Breakup Song

Two minutes in and you'll be unsure if you've just listened to an inspired pop tune or been battered about the head with a rolling pin. But listen to the rest of Breakup Song, and by the end of the 11 tracks you'll see that opener, Breakup Songs (yes, it's a little confusing) is simply the first stanza of a complex, challenging yet rewarding album.

The self-proclaimed “pop” four-piece have been around for the best part of two decades, having cut their teeth on the local San Franciscan circuit. But if you're associating Deerhoof's version of “pop” with the Biebers, the Gagas or even the Gotyes, then you're a long way off. The band have more in common with Black Dice than Britney, the Chinese noise art legends leaving a much more lasting legacy on Deerhoof than anything churned out by the American mainstream.

Safe, FM-radio-friendly music this is not. Singer Satomi Matsuzaki's stilted English vocals lend a top layer beneath which swirl beats, glitch and guitars, much of it delivered with a distinctive Latin influence. There are noticeably tender moments such as the conclusion of Mothball The Fleet, and downright funky times such as Flower, but often the sounds that Deerhoof create are a little more challenging than most.

Not many of the songs break the three-minute mark, but then again, few of the best pop tunes do. Of course, with only 11 songs on the album, this does mean that Breakup Song is over in less than half an hour. It's a shame, but with an enviable back catalogue such as theirs, there's plenty more where this came from.