I was really into the NME back around 2007. I was well into my first year of secondary school, and my musical tastes were being shaped by whatever what was on FIFA games and MTV2. NME appeared to be the magazine that gave a lot of coverage to what was playing on that channel. So, if I wanted to know more about that music and those bands, the NME was the way to go. In those years, the publication had its own web/internet radio station on their website which anyone could click on and start listening to. The only reason I know today’s song, ‘Milk Man’ by Deerhoof, is because it played on this station. From what I remember, it was played twice. The second time, I made sure I made note of what the song was called and who it was by. Lucky for me, because after that second time I don’t think the song was played on there ever again.

So, yeah, this is the only Deerhoof song I know. I tried to get through the Milk Man album years ago, but don’t think I could make it past the second song. I remember it being quite noisy. I should give it another go someday. But the ‘Milk Man’ song I could listen to all the time. When I was 12 in 2007 and heard the guitars opening the track with their little stop/starting riffs, I knew even then that it would be a song to remember. Quite cliché to say, but I mean it sincerely. The noise kicks in for those driving breaks before transitioning into the quieter verses where bassist and lead vocalist Satomi Matsuzaki comes into the frame. Her voice is perfect for the track. And her Japanese accent makes the lines so much more fun to sing. The drums are something to look out for too. Drum rolls and erratic hits on the snare are abound. Drummer Greg Saunier goes even wilder during live performances.

The track isn’t about anything deeper than what it describes in the lyrics. It’s about the Milk Man, who you can see on the album cover, who has bananas embedded in his arms, wears a mask, and wants to play happy music with the boys and girls. It’s an introduction to the character, and the album is meant to be a story about what he gets up to. I can’t get more into it than that because I haven’t heard the whole record. This is something that needs to be personally rectified.