Deerhoof

San Francisco's Deerhoof mixes sugary melodies and an experimental spirit into sweetly challenging and utterly distinctive music. The group began as the brainchild of guitarist Rob Fisk and drummer/keyboardist Greg Saunier in 1994; early releases, such as 1995's 7"s The Return of the Wood M'Lady and For Those of Us On Foot, had a more traditionally harsh, no wave-inspired sound, though they also included the quirky tendencies that dominated their later efforts. Vocalist/bassist Satomi Matsuzaki joined the group in time for 1996's self-titled double 7" on Menlo Park, but other members passed through Deerhoof, including Chris Cooper of Angst Hase Pfeffer nase. The following year they released their full-length debut, The Man, the King, the Girl, on Kill Rock Stars and the Come See the Duck 7" on Banano a year later. Fisk left Deerhoof after 1999's Holdy Paws, an experiment that saw the band trying to write songs that favored composition over individual sounds, and pursued similar ideas in his solo work and in Badgerlore. Halfbird, which was recorded before Fisk departed, was released in 2001, after John Dieterich was recruited as Deerhoof's new guitarist. That year the group also released the My Pal Foot Foot 7", a cover of the legendary Shaggs song, that also appeared on the Better Than the Beatles tribute. In 2002, the group released the critically acclaimed Reveille; 2003's Apple O' followed soon after, and also featured auxiliary guitarist Chris Cohen (The Curtains). Their fifth album, the much more cohesive and focused Milk Man, appeared in spring 2004. 2005 was another busy year for the band: Not only did they embark on tours of the U.S., Europe and Japan, they released the Green Cosmos EP, the full-length The Runners Four and a Deerhoof tribute album that was only available on the band's website. After Chris Cohen's departure in 2006, the band recorded Friend Opportunity, which was released in January of 2007 and featured the artwork of David Shrigley. David's artwork was also featured on a picture disk single. As of April 2008, Deerhoof have officially employed former Sicbay guitarist Ed Rodriguez as a full-time touring and recording member of the band. October 2008 has seen the release of a new record, "Offend Maggie."