No offense taken

Obscure and foggy San Francisco has been the origin of countless musical groups in the past. Jefferson Airplane, Tom Waits and DJ Shadow are just a few of the notorious acts that call the Bay Area home.

That’s a lot to live up to for an obscure-sounding foursome like Deerhoof, but their clever mix of experimental indie rock has been extremely successful amongst fans of alternative and quirky music.

Now with their 10th album Offend Maggie, Deerhoof has capitalized on some of their best sonic approaches, while also throwing in some new ones. The results on Maggie lead to the same positive and eccentric Deerhoof, but also produce their most accessible material to date.

It’s been three years since the release of their acclaimed The Runners Four, and this San Francisco quartet has gone through some transformations. They’ve added new member, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Ed Rodriguez and reintroduced the dual guitar from their earlier work.  

This album begins on a powerful chord with “The Tears and the Music of Love” and “Chandelier Searchlight.” These catchy and whimsical tunes focus on Deerhoof’s infectious side and exemplify how this latest effort is anything but polarizing.

Whether it’s singing about indoor sports in “Basketball Get Your Groove Back” or the relationship between post-apocalyptic relatives in “Family of Others,” Offend Maggie succeeds in balancing singer Satomi Matsuzaki’s high-pitched vocal delivery with unconventional melodies. The title track is where these elements come together best by utilizing Matsuzaki’s commanding voice with a mixture of rhythmic instruments.

For the Deerhoof fan looking to introduce their friends to the unconventional and high-energy sound of the band, Offend Maggie offers the most pleasing elements of the band while still retaining the offbeat elements that attracted fans in the first place.