Deerhoof, "Friend Opportunity" (Kill Rock Stars/5 Rue Christine) - 3 stars

With every Nas record come the inevitable reviews stating the obvious: “It’s not ‘Illmatic.’” Despite their place on the opposite side of the auditory spectrum, the new albums by experimental rock outfit Deerhoof require a similar caveat: “It’s not ‘Reveille.’”

That’s not to say that Deerhoof’s latest, “Friend Opportunity,” is anything less than finely crafted avant-pop that puts the rest of the “indie-prog” sub-sub-genre to shame. In fact, opener “The Perfect Me” finds Deerhoof refueled with their unique brand of frantic, scattershot rocking. Soon after, however, the immediacy and unpredictability vanishes, and the songs become too comfortable—at least, by Deerhoof standards.

“Friend Opportunity” is by no means a misstep. It’s an easily listenable, fun album, and the band’s signature nervy drums and bipolar blasts of sound can still be found in “Cast off Crown.” But with the expectations attached to a Deerhoof album, it’s hard not to be a little disappointed when even 12-minute sound experiment “Look Away” is nothing more than expected.