Apple O
...Apple O' is the latest head-trip from these San Fran bliss addicts, debuting as-yet unseen levels of songcraft; in just thirty minutes, I danced, I wept, I sang-- even the pandas they promised showed up. In short, Apple O' performed exactly as expected, although that in itself is a little frightening.While last year's Reveille was a similarly beautiful, bright flight, it was just unhinged enough so that, until its final moments, there was a lingering uncertainty as to its destination: It would either land in a frenetic pop playground, or allow unbridled blasts of noise to plunge it into the sea. Now it seems as though Deerhoof have transmuted Reveille's spurts of genius into a more cohesive, but slightly less astonishing consistency. Apple O' is still a fascinating trip, but from the very beginning, it's a fairly safe bet that you'll be headed somewhere very pretty, without as much worrisome turbulence. That's not a lock, naturally-- the trademark madness that's infected their earlier recordings hasn't vanished, just diminished-- but this is their most straightforward release to date.The good news is that the band's efforts to ''normalize'' (if such a word can truly be used to describe their work) has reaped great dividends. Every song they present is a staggering collage of guitars and drums, bells, tambourines, brass, and every other manner of beep or squeak under the sun, all falling in line in lush, swaying arrangements. Now, with the added ballast of an improved song-focus, Deerhoof venture into deeper waters, adapting their instrumental melange to a wider variety of styles. Dance, jazz, be-bop, 50s doo-wop, and standard jangle-pop all get thrown into the mix at varying points, while remaining inimitably in the thrall of their particular brand of noise. All that's left is for Satomi Matsuzaki's kindergarten-cute vocals to add the final, unifying glaze…Once again, Deerhoof have released an album masquerading as out-of-the-blue insanity, while cleverly harboring nothing but the most basic, virally contagious pop around. Apple O' never seems quite so unpredictable as Reveille, so it's a safe bet that if you liked Reveille but found it a bit too experimental, you'll like this one better. Of course, in the age-old controversy between a steady keel of greatness or sporadic moments of true genius, genius has to take the gold, but this album's intense variety and sparklingly consistent pop songwriting make a great consolation prize. --Pitchfork...Last year's Reveille was an organic masterpiece, a free-flowing jumble of larynx, tongue, and noise, tweetering daintily between piety and damnation, occasionally crashing to earth, always trying to take flight again. The bluesy no-wave was compelling in itself, but the part you remember best is the voice of Satomi Matsuzaki, a strange, exhilarating evocation of a Siren singing artless melodies to herself as she wanders the cliffs alone. Apple O' knots up the magic of Reveille and then trails it out into a series of individual songs, all lined up in a row. There's not as much chaos here, but that s no surprise (inspired anarchy ain't easy to reconjure every time out: just ask Sonic Youth). But everything else remains intact: resonant distilled-English lyrics, scratchy-noisy guitars, thundering drums, and Satomi. Rather than try to recreate the messy conceptual flow of Reveille, Deerhoof instead concentrate on making a really great record. So no, it s not another masterpiece, but it is a stunning and memorable batch of songs. Hell, four of them are new classics by my reckoning...Apple O is a wonderful album by a band that s created an entirely unique noise out of old Shaggs LP's and the San Francisco fog. And the theme of it all is love, so buy it before Spring is over... --Popmatters