MusicRadar

Greg Saunier - Deerhoof

Indie bands tend not to boast the best drummers in the world but San Francisco outfit Deerhoof most certainly has one in founder member Saunier.

Despite using nothing more a bass drum, snare and either a hi-hat or cymbal, he manages to navigate the band's ever-changing (normally mid-song) blend of stop-start art-pop with ease. Sometimes it's funky, sometimes it's jerky, sometimes it's sweetly melodic and sometimes it makes Shellac sound like The Saturdays.

How is he so adaptable? According to Saunier, it involves having a simple composed part for each song thus allowing himself the freedom to improvise around that - the result is the structure needed to rein in the band's more idiosyncratic tendencies but also ensure that you never hear the same thing twice.

Add on the fact that live Saunier looks like he's being wired up to a Tesla coil and you have someone who plays clever, plays smart and plays loud. Who could ask for more.

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Recommended listening

Milk Man - Deerhoof (ATP) Buy here: Amazon | HMV | Play
The Runners Four - Deerhoof (ATP) Buy here: Amazon | HMV | Play

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