Last night's Deerhoof gig at the Knitting Factory will go down as one of the earliest I've ever been to (back on the subway at 8:50) as well as one of the most therapeutic (election recovery). I kinda knew what to expect after Deerhoof's spring show at Northsix, but that was also where I picked up their latest record Milk Man. Since then, I've gotten to know it way better and I appreciate their live show even more now.

First things first, Deerhoof is a *weird* band. They write pop songs, but very weird pop songs - melodic and almost sugary, but also spastic and noisy at the same time. It's certainly not straightforward but still ends up being catchy. And that's on record. On stage they turn it up and take the songs even further, staying mostly true to the originals but going absolutely NUTS within them.

It all starts with drummer Greg Saunier. I mentioned yesterday he has a three-piece kit. Correction: it's actually four pieces - kick, snare, ride, and hi-hat - with splintered drumsticks that take a serious beating during the show. It's hard to describe just how badass Saunier is, but he basically throws his body into these sick rhythms that border on chaos but totally work - and then he'll turn on a dime and drop into something straightforward. It sets the tone for the entire band, though I'd see Deerhoof over and over again just to see his fills. Lead singer Satomi Matsuzaki is also something else - she's really short, not much taller than the drumkit or bigger than her bass, and hops and bounces through the songs. She even has set dance moves for some tunes.

Last night's set was only about 50 minutes long but just right. They started with "C" from Milk Man and played a lot from the album through the set. What impressed me is how tight they are and how much they tweak the songs - adding a whole new intro to "Dog on the Sidewalk" and reworking the latter half of "Giga Dance" for example. Both of those were highlights along with "Milk Man" (the crowd fave) and "Song of Sorn" plus some others. (I only know the Milk Man titles.) The lowlight - Satomi's guitar got unplugged three times. Somewhat unfortunate but we'll let it slide.

The first time I saw Deerhoof, I was surprised it was a sellout. This time, I was surprised they were playing two shows in one night. I understand why though - they're an incredibly unique band that simply ROCKS live. I'll certainly be back next time. Did I mention the drummer is insane?