Reveille＜Clear Sun Vinyl＞

ポップとエキセントリックの融合をUSインディで行わせたら右に出る者はいない重鎮ディアフーフ。彼等が2002年に出した4TH『REVEILLE』がカラー盤再発!

現在もギタリストとしてバンドの色彩をブーストさせる存在のジョン・ディートリッヒが初めて参加したのが本作。ジョンのハイテンションなギターに引っ張られるように、1曲1曲はコンパクトでありながら、演奏も曲もぶっきらぼうと狂気、冷静と緻密さを行ったり来たりする内容に。マツザキのメロディアスなヴォーカルに対比するバンドの大暴れと、バンドの様式美が本作で完成形に近づいたのも分かります。白眉は異常なテンションで突っ走るカラフルな"THIS MAGNIFICENT BIRD WILL RISE"、内省的な雰囲気を持つスローナンバー"HALLELUJAH CHORUS"で決まり!

San Francisco's strident Deerhoof is a much-loved deconstructionist art-pop outfit. The band is part no wave skronk, part Yoko Ono meets the B-52's, and part weirdo J-pop, and continues to push the musical envelope on each new recording. Reveille is a pretty good example of what Deerhoof is capable of. Quite a few of its songs are instrumental, for the most part, helter-skelterish flare-ups with primitive Casio-like bloops and bleeps, angular fizz-pop guitars, and epileptic drum freakouts. Those few songs that feature Satomi Matsuzaki's purring falsetto -- her very presence elevates this band above most avant pop groups -- have a simplicity and sugar-soaked sweetness, enticing listeners with charm before boxing their ears with an all-out aural assault. Reveille begins with an unassuming spoken word opening before launching into a variety of sounds. "All Rise" has a baseball stadium-cum-church organ feel, and "Days & Nights in the Forest" starts off with progressive jazz elements before introducing other elements. Though Deerhoof reportedly has to be seen performing live -- when the bandmembers are able to temper and balance the explosive quiet-loud of their tunes -- to be fully appreciated and to get the full effect, this album is as good a place to start your journey as any of the group's recordings. ~ Bryan Thomas