San Francisco’s Deerhoof have come a long way from being a bass-and-drums-wielding noise-improv duo. Twenty years later, the group has grown into a full band that has influenced artists like St. Vincent and Foo Fighters and has had their music covered by everyone from classical composer Marcos Balter to Grateful Dead bassist and co-founder Phil Lesh.
Deerhoof’s 17th album The Magic is true to the noisier end of the group’s dynamic sound spectrum. “Kafe Mania!” proves that Deerhoof is still having a great time making music together and not taking themselves too seriously, even two decades later. The song itself sounds caffeinated (appropriate for a song literally about coffee), sonically bouncing between noisy, dirty guitar riffs and a more controlled, yet still highly energized, indie rock core. Like a much-needed cup of joe, “Kafe Mania!” is a perfect pick-me-up any time of day.
“Kafe Mania!” appears on The Magic, out now via PolyVinyl.
–Taylor Wallace // host, Saturdays 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.; SoundCheck Music News; producer, Eklektikos with John Aielli
