The best way I could describe Scratch or Stitch is with this hypothetical situation: Deerhoof being tasked by producer Merzbow to cover only the punkiest, most raucous Sonic Youth numbers at double speed and oh, dearest Satomi, please yell some strange little English phrases while you're at it. Unfortunately, even that kind of situation still doesn't describe this album in full - the series of noisy blasts clocking in all under 30 seconds ("Test: Ground 1" through "His Name Is Mickey") are like unto a row of men with dynamite plungers cued at random by starter pistols. I must admit, though... even at their strangest, there's simply something about Melt Banana that is hopelessly catchy and utterly addicting, and I almost want to sing along with Yasuko O. (if it weren't for the fact that doing so would probably shatter my voice).
Barely longer than half an hour, and with only four tracks breaking the 2-minute mark, anybody looking for contiguity and coherency should download certain choice tracks ("Disposable Weathercock", "Pigeons on My Eyes" and maybe a couple others) and continue on with their merry lives. However, anybody looking for an album of entertaining, frenetic bursts of Noise-Rock, look no further, for your weirdo saviors are here.
2 Bumps | Bump |
