How I ever came across Deerhoof back in 2008 is beyond me. At that point in their career they already had ten albums under their belt, and to me, their fifth record, Apple O’, was the most hilariously entertaining record I could show anyone. I showed everyone. In front stands Satomi Matsuzaki, an incredibly short and highly energetic Asian woman, Ed Rodriguez and John Dieterich on guitar, and Greg Saunier on a drum set built for a tiny child, just wailing on it randomly as if he didn’t know where the song was heading next.
Is it good music? I don’t know, sometimes yeah it actually really is. They have their songwriting and recording faults, but there’s a lovable cuteness to her out-of-tune singing style, sporadic drum fills, and hard hitting guitar licks. It’s plain cacophony at some moments, but it’s filled with a childhood-like delirium. It’s so fun, they just do whatever the fuck they want. It’s honestly amazing, like on the ending track “Nurse Me.”
It’s incredibly loose, but The Magic still holds true to the “Deerhoof” sound, while containing some of their best material to date. It’s party-rock, something that Benjamin Scheim of Pitchfork calls “cool-weird.” The Magic is their most accessible record to date since Apple O’, and it’s also their thirteenth. As odd as they might be, they can always rock. There’s a sense of wonder and bewilderment to hear them play, but with tracks like “Kafe Mania!” and “Debut,” you can tell that for all their oddities, they know what they’re doing. They’re Deerhoof. I don’t know why I ever doubt them, they always pull off some magic.