Deerhoof

Deerhoof is an indie band with a remarkable ability to combine experimental ideas and cutting edge music with infectious bursts of melody, that helps them create joyfully upbeat songs. Despite all their jagged, angular trends, thematic shifts, and ongoing flirtations with dissonance, they never quite disrupt the basic flow of their songs. They often sound like a pop band that took an awfully wrong turn somewhere, looking for a way to get back. They are very good at keeping their transgressive tendencies under control, due in no small part to vocalist Satomi Matsuzaki's utterly charming, pop-infused delivery. This still does not make them easy listening, but perhaps easier to digest. Over the course of their prolific career, they have played with punk ideas, as well as jazz, prog, and noise, but the core of their musical vocabulary has pretty much remained consistent as has the overall quality of their work.