Grade: 88/100
The San Francisco band Deerhoof has made an album that is perfecly suitable for celebrating twenty years of punk rock. “La Isla Bonita,” or “The Pretty Island,” the band’s twelfth album, couldn’t be more perfectly titled. The album stands as a striking milestone, a literal island in the ocean of Deerhoof’s career.
Lead singer Satomi Matsuzaki’s voice continues to be electrifying and versatile in its application to her band members’ playing. As far as today’s noteworthy female punk vocalists, a solid comparison is Meredith Graves of Perfect Pussy from Syracuse.
“La Isla Bonita” opens with “Paradise Girls,” the album’s second single. The song shows clear and present influence from Dirty Projectors. With erratic guitar playing and Matsuzaki singing in the manner of David Longstreth, “Paradise Girls” would be found well at home on 2009’s “Bitte Orca.”
Arguably the album’s best track, “Doom” features an infectious bass riff and chipper melodies that make a usually dark band sound extremely danceable. Nearly halfway through the song, guitarist John Dieterich turns the tables, making the album’s mood shift to more melancholic.
Despite some possibly more accessible options, “Exit Only” was chosen as the first single of “La Isla Bonita.” Matsuzaki comes off as vaguely political, singing “Welcome to speech of freedom/you enter USA/welcome to speech of freedom/thank you for coming, get out now.” The true topic of the song is up for speculation, but much can be deduced from the fact that Masuzaki herself is Japanese-American.
“Exit Only” doesn’t play like the best song on “La Isla Bonita.” Its true merits lie within its structure, which is best described as “quasi-punk.” It fits all the criteria necessary to have a punk sound without being a truly original Deerhoof work.
“La Isla Bonita” starts off strong as one of Deerhoof’s more comprehensible albums. One of its most prominent features is a clear focus on a variation in percussion. Drummer Greg Saunier implements multiple instruments, most noticeably a cowbell.
Towards the end, “La Isla Bonita” tapers off in intensity with the last track “Oh Bummer.” The final song brings the album to a grinding halt, literally. The last sounds of Deerhoof’s newest manifestation is cacophonous feedback, guaranteeing the California quartet another twenty years of notice.