The Indie Rock: Then & Now of bands: Big Walnuts Yonder brings together Mike Watt ( Minutemen , fIREHOSE ), Nels Cline ( Wilco ), Greg Saunier ( Deerhoof ), and Nick Reinhart ( Tera Melos ), combining over thirty years of fringe-based rock n' roll lineage.  The group's first single, "Raise the Drawbridges?," captures well the distinct musical sensibility of each member, from Watt's unmistakable low-end harmonic to Saunier's thunderous snare, synthesizing their respective personalities into an energized and very fun two-minutes and twenty seconds.  The song premiered over at Consequence of Sound .  The cover illustration is from the able hand and characteristically dark mind of Raymond Pettibon .     Big Walnuts Yonder's self-titled debut is scheduled to release on May 5th via the reliably awesome Sargent House label.  You can listen to "Raise the Drawbridges?" with the Soundcloud link below.  All info and links were provided by U...

Kill Alters Blank Spell Deerhoof Union Transfer , 6.25.16 Isabella , a.k.a., Daughter of a Tapehead , attended her very first concert on Saturday.  She wrote the following: P.S. — I would personally like to thank the very accommodating people at Union Transfer.  When we arrived Saturday, my daughter was treated almost like royalty.  She was given a reserved seat very close to the stage so she had no issue with obstructed views, the venue manager stopped by to greet her and ask if there was anything we needed, and the patrons were incredibly sweet to her.  As a first concert experience, Isabella's couldn't have been better. I would also like to thank Deerhoof , who took the time to sign Isabella's ticket stub and chat with her a bit at the end of the show.  With us, you have a family of fans for life.   Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

We're ready for our first concert! Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

I'm finally on board with something Neutral Milk Hotel related . Dietrich & Barnes is the work of John Dieterich ( Deerhoof ) and Jeremy Barnes (the aforementioned Neutral Milk Hotel and A Hawk & a Hacksaw ).  A new single from the duo's upcoming LP, The Coral Casino, was just issued today called "Out and About." It's a jovial experiment, a combination of Samba-inspired rhythms met with a hyper melody and repetition akin to a group like Can . Listen below: The Coral Casino is scheduled to release via LM Duplication on May 6th.  The track and info were provided by Kinsman and Meng. Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Deerhoof La Isla Bonita Polyvinyl Records Released: 11.4.14 Track review: "Big House Waltz" *Yes, this is the "Matchbook Meets Maniac" 7."  Unfortunately, I don't have a physical copy of La Isla Bonita yet, though I plan on picking one up.  As is usually the case, Deerhoof have delivered a winner. ** Satomi Matsuzaki 's voice has been a subject of complete fascination.  "How does she sing like that, Daddy?  It's awesome!"  My daughter has true voice envy. Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

We're a little more than two months away from this year's Record Store Day and today I received my first item on this year's wishlist: Deerhoof and Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog will be issuing a split 7" via Northern Spy Records. I'm hoping to have a stream to post at a later date. In the meantime, I have cover art and a small blurb courtesy of Northern Spy. "Long live Marc Ribot." - Greg Saunier "Long live Deerhoof!" - Marc Ribot A split 7" deserves a split write-up. So, I asked Deerhoof's Greg Saunier and Ceramic Dog's Marc Ribot to write something about this record. Turns out there's some mutual respect here. I guess it'd be weird if there wasn't. The Deerhoof track originally appeared as "Qui Dorm, Només Somia" on Deerhoof vs Evil . On this 7", Marc Ribot's guitar serves as the harmony in place of Satomi 's vocals. It's RAD. And the Ceramic Dog tune is one of their heav...

This year's Baby Snakes :   Bad News From Houston is the work of Deerhoof 's John Dietrich and Thollem McDonas of Tsigoti .  Their strange, seemingly structureless ode to human disconnection in the digital age brought to mind the overwhelming visual and atonal relationship between Frank Zappa 's free form sound experiments and the clay-mation work of Bruce Bickford explored in Zappa's Baby Snakes film. Bad News from Houston cover art by Tuia Cherici The duo's new album, In the Valley of the Cloud Builder , is out on Post-Consumer Records . Info comes courtesy of Kinsman and Meng PR. John Dieterich (Deerhoof) and Thollem McDonas (Tsigoti) have created an album of complete immediacy, wherein every sound is presented with such vividness and detail that each minute sound event becomes foregrounded. When an acoustic guitar is played, you don’t just hear the strings, you hear the wood, too. When the strings of the piano explode, you are inside the soun...

Mystical Weapons Mystical Weapons Chimera Music Released: 1.15.13 No Ripcord review Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Another installment of the Less Artists More Condos series being released as a tribute to Famous Class label partner, Ariel Panero .  This release pairs Deerhoof with Half Waif and is the fourth of the year's projected six releases. The limited white vinyl release is already sold out, but standard black is still available for $5 at Famous Class .   LAMC # 4 by Deerhoof/ Half Waif All info, links and tracks are courtesy of Terrorbird Media. New Deerhoof 7" out now with Half Waif, watch the documentary of the recording with legendary producer Chris Shaw "Sexy, but Sparkly" marks the first time the long-running experimental band has worked with an outside producer, all digital proceeds of LAMC No. 4 go to support Ariel Panero VH1 Save The Music Fund. Available now though Famous Class. WATCH: Deerhoof on Masters From Their Day with Chris Shaw LISTEN: Deerhoof "Sexy, but Sparkly" LISTEN: Half Waif "Black Mountains" (via Impose) ...

Deerhoof 's new LP, Breakup Song , released 9.4.  In addition to the cassette version that's been developed by Joyful Noise, there's also a Flexi-Book version.  Trust in Joyful Noise to continue adding physical interest to new music. I'll be reviewing the new Deerhoof at some point, likely independent of my go to Web spots.  Breakup Song was quickly tapped by a lot of the reviewers with whom I share my usual outlets, but I really like the album so I'm going to add my two cents.  In the meantime, check out the track, "Fête d'Adieu" and watch the instructional how to video on how to play the Flexi-Book.  Deerhoof // "Breakup Song" Flexi-Book from Joyful Noise on Vimeo . Images are from Joyful Noise. Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

The Hand to Man Band is Mike Watt ( Minutemen , fIREHOSE ), John Dieterich ( Deerhoof ), Tim Barnes ( Silver Jews ) and Thollem McDonas .  Their new album, You Are Always On Our Minds , was released May 22nd via Post-Consumer Records .  A video for the song, "The Down Moveables," is available to disturb and confound.  Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Since putting out Deerhoof Vs. Evil earlier this year, Deerhoof have been releasing split 7" collaborations steadily since.  Their newest split with David Bazan spawned a cover contest , so I took the opportunity to pick up my sketch book (which I hadn't done in months) and some watercolor paints (which I hadn't done in years) and come up with a couple options.  I'll know if they're selected by the end of the week, but figured they might be cool to post in the meantime.  I don't do too many art-releated music posts. Some sketches: Finished submissions: Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

I’ve been seeing many “best of 2011 so far” lists, lately, so without getting into every album I’ve reviewed so far this year, (which is 22 so far, not including whatever’s still awaiting scrutiny or the other small ones I discuss), I’m going to talk about some 2011 albums I spent money on. Deerhoof Deerhoof vs. Evil Polyvinyl Released: 1.25.11 I consider Deerhoof ’s Deerhoof Vs. Evil a utilitarian release, as in it “gets the job done.” Without hesitation, “Qui Dorm, Només Somia” is one of my favorite songs of the year. As is “Behold a Marvel in the Darkness.” “No One Asked To Dance” and “Must Fight Current?” Also, worthy inclusions. Otherwise, I understand the lukewarm response most critics seemed to have regarding Deerhoof Vs. Evil . To me, the album is a compilation of potentially strong ideas that don’t enjoy completion, a lot of rough drafts with just enough artful abstractions and rhythmic variations to work as a solid Deerhoof release. It’s a good album, but it’s ...

This information comes via Deerhoof 's mailing list: New Split 7" with WOOM We've got a new split 7" with WOOM coming out July 5th on Polyvinyl. It's currently up for pre-order right now through the PV online store and is limited to just 1200 copies on clear vinyl. It features WOOM singing over an instrumental of our song "Must Fight Current" (off Deerhoof vs. Evil ) along with Greg 's remix of the WOOM song "Quetzalcoatl's Ship" on the B-side. If you pre-order it now, you'll get an instant MP3 download code while you wait for you package! Pre-order WOOM on Hoof 7" Milk Man & Friend Opportunity Vinyl Reissues Polyvinyl is also reissuing Milk Man and Friend Opportunity on 180 gram colored vinyl. Milk Man will come on strawberry colored vinyl while Friend Opportunity will be on orange vinyl. Psst... Friend Opportunity comes with a bonus track not found on the original pressing! Milk Man wil...

If you haven’t heard by now, Deerhoof has administered a “ global album leak ” of their upcoming new release, Deerhoof Vs. Evil , which is supposed to come out January 25th, 2011.  Being somewhat inclined to look forward to something as eventful as a new Deerhoof album, I’ve been avoiding the leak.  However, I did check out the album’s first single, “The Happy Barracks,” which might be the best thing I’ve listened to all week. Deerhoof also released a split 7” with Physical Forms (members of Busdriver and The Mae Shi ) called Hoofdriver . Deerhoof, ever the visionaries, are leading a series with Hoofdriver , the concept being a guest singer comes up with their own lyrics and melody to employ atop a new Deerhoof track, thusly crafting something unique AND familiar. Information on the 7” can be found at Polyvinyl Record Co. Tour dates are available via their newsletter: 12/5 Minehead, UK - All Tomorrows Parties curated by Godspeed You! Black Emperor 1/27 Sacra...

Deerhoof Offend Maggie Kill Rock Stars Released: 10.7.08 No Ripcord review Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Deerhoof Friend Opportunity Kill Rock Stars Released 1.23.07 Rating: 9 out of 10 This record has been haunting me for the past couple weeks. I guess when you’re in a position to sell yourself as an opinionated know-it-all, as I try to do on a sporadic basis, it becomes daunting when faced with something as uncharacteristically strange an album as, Friend Opportunity , the latest offering by indie trio, Deerhoof . Why is it so strange? Well, try to wrap your head around how the background noise of any 80s era arcade sounds coupled with progressive time signatures, syncopated drum styling, fairy-tale trumpets and a vocalist that sounds like a teenage Muppet Baby with a penchant for magic mushrooms and Burroughs novels. In fact, this is one case where the album’s artwork perfectly illustrates the content herein: an imagination as rampant and full of wonder as any developing child, but disturbed as if that child talks to his finger and spells backwards. Friend Opportunity is...