| Deerhoof The Runners Four |
|
 | Tracklist:
1. Chatterboxes
2. Twin Killers
3. Running Thoughts
4. Vivid Creek Love Song
5. O'Malley, Former Underdog
6. Odyssey
7. Wrong Time Capsule
8. Spirit Ditties Of No Tone
9. Scream Team
10. You Can See
11. Midnight Bicycle Mystery
12. After Me The Deluge
13. Siriustar
14. Lemon And Little Lemon
15. Lightning Rod, Run
16. Bone-Dry
17. News From A Bird
18. Spy On You
19. You're Our Two
Release Date: 2005 | |
|
On 5 Lists
|
After a string of solid and consistent releases, Deerhoof have gained a reputation for being one of the most fun bands in modern indie rock. The Runners Four is their latest and most acessible album.
Deerhoof
Chris Cohen - Bass
John Dieterich - Guitar
Satomi Matsuzaki - Guitar, Vocals
Greg Saunier - Drums, Keyboard
In an age where the majority of bands often take three years or more between albums, it's refreshing to see bands like Deerhoof, who present us with solid albums year after year. Deerhoof aren't the only ones either. Bands like Xiu Xiu (who two Deerhoof members are involved in), Sufjan Stevens and The Fiery Furnaces have a similar work ethic. After releasing three sucessful albums; Reveille, Apple O and Milk Man, Deerhoof underwent some changes before releasing The Runners Four. The Runners Four still gives us that same cute and chaotic sound that make Deerhoof who they are, but it is treated with an indie rock sensibility. There is a lot more diversity on The Runners Four. And really, at nearly 60 minutes and a whopping 20 songs, you'd certainly hope so. Instead of the randomness that dominated earlier records, where a song could entirely change directions at the drop of a hat, The Runners Four concentrates on making more actual songs. Still, there are plenty of changes in dynamics and tempo to keep fans of the chaos from earlier works happy. Being their most electic and focused album yet, The Runners Four is extremely solid proof that a band can progress in style without losing what made them so good in the first place.
The Runners Four often switches from loud blasts of noise, to fun electronic passages, to soft finger picked acoustic parts. Being a lot more eclectic, there is also a wider use of instrumentation, including a greater use of male vocals. The childlike innocence which makes their sound so much fun progresses throughout the record until album closer "Rrrrrrright" where it is most dominant. The vocals and instrumentation have improved from Deerhoof's earlier releases. Despite all of it's acessiblity, The Runners Four sure isn't the easiest record to get into. It is an enormous 20 songs, as well as retaining a lot of the weirdness that was featured on early Deerhoof recordings. With a back catalogue as impressive as Deerhoof's, it would be a stretch to call The Runners Four their best record yet. It is, however, easily their most electic and it is certainly a step forward for the band. With the progression the band has undergone, The Runners Four can safely be considered as one of Deerhoof's best albums.
Pros
Improved and more catchy sound
Keeps all of the elements that made Deerhoof's earlier albums so good
Plenty of material gives the record good replay value
Cons
Fans of earlier work may wish for more of the pandemonium that dominated earlier works
Many listeners will find the length daunting
Reccomended Tracks
Twin Killers
Scream Team
Lightning Rod, Run
FINAL RATING: 4/5
|
| Recent reviews by this author | | | |
Album Rating: 4
This is a review I posted a while ago, in December I think. For some reason, it seems to have dissapeared so I posted it again.
| | |
Good review. I like this album.
| | |
Probably got deleted with the crash.
This actually seems interesting in an indie-pop way, I'll probably give this a liten soon.
Digging: Animal Collective - Spirit They've Gone, Spirit They've Vanished
| | |
I've been wanting to get this for a while actually but I haven't gotten around to it yet.
Digging: The XX - xx
| | |
Yes this does seem cool, I'll probably listen to it soon. Great work Br3ad.
| | |
listening now for first time.
sounds fun/interesting.
let you know what i think when i have a sound grasp of the albums sound as a whole.
| | | Album Rating: 4
I can't stop listening to this, Scream Team is dank.
| | |
ive only listened to like the first 5-6 tracks on this album but Running Thoughts is one of the coolest fucking songs ever. The psychedelic jam out part at the end is so sick, listening to that song on LSD was just awesome. Twin Killers is fantastic too. Despite how much I dig the first few songs, I've never gotten around to listening to the whole thing. Gonna do that asap.
| | | Album Rating: 4
Can't believe you didn't list Spirit Ditties Of No Tone as one of the recommended tracks. That's probably one of my favorite songs of all time.
| | | Album Rating: 4
you all need to get this
Digging: Brand New - The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me | | |
didnt like what i heard of this
| | |
|
Stumble
Digg
Twitter
Del.icio.us