Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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32 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Deerhoof coming into their own as a band, but too much filler- 4.25 stars, January 6, 2006
I have only recently started listening to this band- beginning with 'Apple O' then 'Milkman' and now 'The Runners Four,' and I have to say in certain ways they have improved with each of these albums as a band. As far as the overall quality of each of these albums as a whole- they are about equal, but have different feels to them. From my perspective Deerhoof has really been able to hone their sound as a band with each album, but without falling into that trap of becoming 'mature-sounding,' (i.e. boring and lacking passion and creativity) (Sorry Lou Barlow and Super Furry Animals - Britt Daniels??)
'Apple O' has really good energy, is cohesive as a whole, and some really good rockin songs, but seemed to be a little one dimensional (sound and approach-wise). This becomes more apparent when I listened to 'Milkman' and 'the Runners four'- this band could really expand their approach (and sound) and benefit from it in some ways.
With 'Milkman' Deerhoof seem to add more songs that focused on a pop approach (pop as a relative term)- adding keyboards and an occasional straightforward song alongside songs that rock. An uneven, but equally good album.
With "The Runners Four" Deerhoof further this trend, in some songs sounding like a band in its prime with a great combination of energy, rock, melody and Deerhoof quirkiness. The experimentation is still there- they are not getting boring- and there are many songs that still rock and /or are catchy as hell (SIRIUSTAR, Runningthoughts, Spirit Ditties, You can See, Lightning rod, Rrrright)
Unfortunately this album is also a lot longer than their previous albums, with some 'filler' which weighs down the album. I'd say they could have dropped about 5-6 songs and had a real masterpiece. I rarely complain about artists having some mediocre songs but for some reason in this instance it really detracts from listening to the rest. (yeah I'm also talking to you too Robert Pollard and the entire hip-hop genre) I think it would have been a 5 star album in my book if it werent for the length.
I apologize, but let me finish by commenting on "reviewers."
Too many of the people who write reviews are either haters (see Harry Wang's review) or borderline-groupies. I think its important to really comment on the quality of the music relative to the band's previous work and whats out there (analogy applies to other products as well). A look at a guy like Harry Wang, and you'll see he gives 1 star to most of his reviews (but the village people, an important exception, get 5 stars)- This is not helpful to anyone, and is a waste of everyone's time. The reviews by the groupies arent that helpful either, but at least they are trying to be helpful. There are too many 5 star (I am guilty) and 1 star reviews which are often not helpful. Lets have a little nuance folks.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My Turn, July 16, 2006
My first introduction to Deerhoof was getting Apple O' from the library and popping it into my car stereo. After about a song and a half I had had enough and pushed the eject button. I'm always trying to explore into different challenging types of music, but this was too much.
For some reason, that album beckoned me to revisit it and give it another chance. I'm glad I did, because once I got past the utter chaos, high-pitched girl vocals, and seemingly directionless arrangements, I was able to appreciate the melodies, tight chemistry between the players (especially the drumming), and charm that was sitting there underneath everything else.
I think this is where I had an advantage over many of the one-star reviewers of "The Runners Four." I was already prepared for what was coming, and I had a foundation from which to judge this album.
Initially my first thought was that this album was much more subdued and expansive than Apple O'. It is, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. The comparison that comes to mind is Modest Mouse and the jump from "Lonesome Crowded West" to "The Moon and Antarctica." The former has just so much energy and is so fun to listen to, whereas the latter is much more layered and takes many more twists and turns, making for an extremely rewarding listen, even if not as immediately satisfying.
"The Runners Four" starts with a very minimalist guitar and vocal duet, then kicks into gear with one of my favorite songs on the album, "Twin Killers." The next song, "Running Thoughts" defines the album to me. The chaos and utter disregard for convention are still there, but with a meditative quality replacing the youthful jubilence of prior albums. Don't get me wrong, there's still plenty of moments of innocent bliss on "Runners", but they are spotted in between a more evolved and seasoned version of Deerhoof.
I can completely sympothize with those who would rather inflict physical harm than listen to Deerhoof - I was once there. But the ones who never come back to give it a second chance are missing out on one of the best bands of the millenium thus far, which is truly a shame.
I've become obsessed with this band.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Tired of challenging us, they challenge themselves, February 12, 2008
Even though their songs are almost always between two and three minutes, Deerhoof goes for epic on "The Runners Four," collecting twenty songs and squeezing them into a package that runs just under an hour (their last two albums combined isn't much longer than that). It allows for greater range of freedom and more experiments...and a few failures. This is a band that had always been an acquired taste, but forcing us to acquire even newer tastes? At least the group acknowledges its limitations and then says forget it, let's go for it anyway. Brave, and sometimes rewarding.
Deerhoof is better served in smaller doses than larger ones, even after they settled down a bit from their earlier, more hectic days. Like a lot of long tracklist albums (They Might Be Giant's "Flood," more than one Beastie Boys record, countless punk albums, etc.) the band runs out of steam before the end--but instead of regurgitating more of the same, they keep throwing everything they've got at us and hoping it sticks. For the first eleven to thriteen tracks, there's rarely a misstep (opener "Chatterboxes" is merely okay, "Odyssey" is rather turgid), but after that, it's pretty uneven. Maybe it's too exhausting; even for a pop band, Deerhoof can be pretty intense (check out the sweaty and squealing "Scream Team" and the noisy squalor of "Midnight Bicylce Mystery"). But three-fourths of a great album is what we've come to expect from this band, and the individual moments on this one shine brighter than almost anything on their last two.
Best cuts: "Twin Killers," "Vivid Cheek Love Song," "Running Thoughts," "Spirit Ditties of No Tone," "O'Malley, Former Underdog," "Scream Team," "Siriustar," "Midnight Bicycle Mystery," "Wrong Time Capsule," "You Can See," "Rrrrrright," "Spy on You," "Lightning Rod, Run," "After Me the Deluge"
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