In May, we’ll again be visited by cult independent rock band with a dash of sugary pop, Deerhoof – always different, always tumultuous and always cheekily bold. They’ll be joined by special guests Wrekmeister Harmonies, whose heavy tunes cooked up one of the best gigs of the year at their previous visit. Both bands will promote their latest albums.
John Peel invited them for a session in his studio, twice. Pitchfork declared their album Apple O’ one of the best releases of the new millennium. They’ve collaborated with both Zach Hill (Death Grips) and Joanna Newsom. Their record Milk Man has been turned into a ballet for children. Sufjan Stevens named their album The Runners Four the album of the decade. They’ve toured with Radiohead, The Flaming Lips, Beck and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Blonde Redhead, Maroon 5 and Starfucker have asked them to cover their tracks. The video for “Exit Only” features Michael Shannon. They’ve been praised by Henry Rollins, Blur and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Merrill Garbus (Tune-Yards) reviewed their album La Isla Bonita for Talkhouse. They played Joy Division‘s Unknown Pleasures live with Xiu Xiu in Vienna.
We could go on and on. After more than 20 years of moving mountains, the facts and achievements of Californian band Deerhoof are as colourful, eclectic, intriguing and from all over the place as their music. The latter revolves around independent rock, punk, noise and the thinking man’s pop, but the playful band constantly turn it on its head through countless influences and references, into their own unique, unmistakable expression. The group wowed Šiška during their first visit in 2010, and now they’re coming back with their September release Mountain Moves, a protest album that doesn’t lack charm despite its political tone, and that features guest appearances by Juana Molina and Xenia Rubinos, among others.
Thrill Jockey Records protégé Wrekmeister Harmonies will perform as the evening’s special guests. The pair’s leader J. R. Robinson considers life a long, gradual process of decay, and translates this view into heavyweight metal compositions at the intersection of drone, post-rock and doom. Robinson, who has collaborated with icons such as Jef Whitehead (Leviathan), Alexander Hacke (Einstürzende Neubauten), David Yow (The Jesus Lizard), Chip King and Lee Buford (The Body), and Marissa Nadler, will visit us less than a month after the release of new album The Alone Rush, the first written with just his partner Esther Shaw. The album drew on the difficult dual experience of losing a loved one and caring for another family member with an incurable illness. Those who attended the group’s first show in Ljubljana, at Channel Zero in 2016, consider that gig one of the highlights of the year, while those who weren’t present regret the missed opportunity. Thankfully, we’ll get a second chance in May.
Organisation: Kino Šiška.
