Deerhoof - My Pal Foot Foot

Deerhoof just announced via Facebook that they have recorded a four-song session for Daytrotter, which you can download for free here. This has put me in fine mood for listening to some old Deerhoof records. I've got a few that I've had for years, but not gotten around to playing, so let's try...



...Uh-oh. Deerhoof covering the Shaggs. Already having a tendency to go off into tuneless but twee meanderings, Deerhoof, unfettered of any noise or alt.rock bent, could be about to deliver the ultimate in cutesy pain to my ears.

Well, Deerhoof's 'My Pal Foot Foot' is pretty much unlistenable. No tune, rhythm, meter, just Satomi drivelling on and on about 'Foot Foot' over some sporadic drum beats, scratchy gee-tar and splodgey synth sounds. It's got a charm of it's own, though, with Satomi breaking out into a laugh at the end of the song. Seems like the band are just having some fun, but it sounds like they must have totally deconstructed the original. Right? I am familiar with the Shaggs, and I know this is their most notorious song, although I've never actually had the pleasure of...

...Egad. Just listened to it on YouTube. I can't believe that's from 1969, since it sounds a lot like the sort of stuff you might hear on a Kill Rocks Stars compilation. Now, I'm all for indie-pop. I love Beat Happening. Daniel Johnston is good by me. I value creativity and expression of ideas and feelings above technical prowess. Yet while this song made me smile, its atonality rivaled Merzbow for most grating sounds ever thrust upon this listener's brain. But you know what? I kind of liked it.



Now, YouTube is typically a dumping ground for some of the most uninformed, ludicrous, aggressive and downright banal comments, so while I am loathe to reproduce any quotes from there I feel this gent has summed up the general consensus in rather an astute manner:

"Foot Foot probably died after listening to this pile of aural excrement."

A bit harsh, but then certainly more considered than some of the other comments, which would make a fishwife blush.

There's plenty of people bleating about how amazing this music is in its naivety and authenticity of expression, but what these people fail to acknowledge in their nice, little, tied-up-with-a-bow world is that the girls didn't want to be writing or playing this music and were only forced into it by their domineering and pushy father; confirmed by the fact that they didn't break up until the day he died. This isn't the sound of freedom and innocence - it's the sound of untalented musicians trying to make music with a gun to their head. I suppose that's also some of the appeal; although it is outwardly friendly, sincere, child-like etc. it is also unsettling, awkward and so in some ways, dark.

Anyway, I should be gassing on about the Deerhoof version and having now heard the original I can see where they're coming from. It's actually a fairly faithful cover and it's the Shaggs and not Deerhoof that are responsible for the weirdness that is 'My Pal Foot Foot'. Makes you wonder why they bothered? Probably because it was originally commissioned for a Shaggs tribute album, Better Than the Beatles.

Some people may be underwhelmed by the artwork, but I quite like the hand-made look. It's just a plain red sleeve with 'DEERHOOF MY PAL FOOT FOOT' hand stamped on, with the song titles upside side and backwards ("TOOF TOOF LAP YM," anyone?) The label has some drawings of geometric shapes and what-not and that, sirs, is it.



The B-sides are 'Sunny Forty Fours' and 'Aho-Bomb'. 'Sunny Forty Fours' is a lush guitar-driven track with flute accompaniment, leading to occasional electronic and keyboard embellishments before the songs cascades away. 'Aho-Bomb' starts with a repeating chiming guitar refrain and slowly builds in sound and atmosphere, before it bursts into a blast of bassy, all-out rock. Pretty cool and certainly the best track on the single.

Either song sounds like it would fit nicely on the Reveille album (in fact, I think they may be bonus tracks on the Japanese version). Other than that, I believe that this is the only place to get both songs, and would make for a nice addition to your stack of Deerhoof LPs.

(Edit: Turns out 'Aho-Bomb' was included on the 2006 download-only E.P. +81. Damn these downloads).