Punked (Deerhoof - La Isla Bonita)

Deerhoof - La Isla Bonita

Why you'll love it: Deerhoof harkens back to their noisy years
Why you'll hate it: Not as creative or catchy as they have been

I do not love this album.  I find it annoying, too messy, and hard on my ears at times.  On a few songs, the vocals are off putting, and the lyrics are too silly for me to get over.   Here is your M Night Shyamalan twist... I've been a Deerhoof fan for years!  2012's Breakup Song was one of my favorite albums of 2012!  This entire paragraph makes me out to be a massive hypocrite!

Deerhoof is an acquired taste.  They make a whole lot of noise, and turn it into fun pop music.  Their style is very abrasive; dare I say it, annoying. Yet I, like many fans, love them for it.  We love their creativeness, and ability to challenge the listener.  I guess we all draw the line somewhere...

La Isla Bonita is Deerhoof's messiest album since The Runners Four (2005).  It has an almost nails on chalkboard reverberation to it.  The construction of almost every song seems like it's been put through a blender.  Guitar strikes coming from all angles at any given moment.  There is very little reprieve given to the listener, aside from the tracks "Tiny Bubbles" and "Oh Bummer", which have a horror movie like tone.  "Oh Bummer" especially would have fit right in there with anything on Milk Man (2004).


To be honest, nothing on La Isla Bonita is surprising.  Heck, I was even preparing myself for disappointment.  Ever since 2002's Reveille, Deerhoof albums have had the Star Trek sequels effect (only every other one being beloved).  I should want to hear Deerhoof make me say "ughhh" at first, and eventually win me over.  Maybe in a few months I'll love this album, but for now, joy has only come in moments.  That "badabadabadabada" duel guitar riff in "Last Fad" impresses me every time.  The line "We're gonna haunt you 24/7" from "Black Pitch" makes me chuckle every time.  But, I'm skipping the first two annoying songs every time as well; and always zoning out in the middle of the album, not being able to discern one track from another. La Isla Bonita is sadly stuck somewhere in between too one-note to be considered one of their more creative albums, and too many jagged edges to be one of their more enjoyable ones.

Deerhoof has over a dozen albums by now.  Their whole gimmick is to subvert what you think catchy music should be.  To always be one step ahead of both their fans and their critics.  It's gotta be hard to make something revolutionary every time.  This is one of those cases where they didn't reach that high mark.  But like every other of those albums that fall short, you're still left with a few damn good mainstays in a Deerhoof setlist.  "Doom", "Last Fad", "Oh Bummer": all cool songs.  Unfortunately, this is just one of those Deerhoof albums that will probably get lost somewhere in the middle of their twisted discography.