Deerhoof Noble And Godlike In Ruin
Deerhoof's Noble And Godlike In Ruin arrives as a mischievous, politically charged collage that balances abrasive invention with moments of surprising tenderness. Across six professional reviews the record earned a 73.17/100 consensus score, and critics repeatedly point to concise, high-impact songs as the album's clearest victories. For those searching for a decisive verdict on Noble And Godlike In Ruin, the critical consensus suggests a largely favorable, if occasionally vexed, reception.
Reviewers consistently praise the album's standout tracks as proof of Deerhoof's sustained virtuosity and imagination. “Immigrant Songs” emerges as the frequently cited closer, a pareddown, harrowing finale praised for pairing sweetness with howling feedback. Critics also flagged “Sparrow Sparrow”, “Kingtoe”, “A Body of Mirrors” and the hypnotic “Ha, Ha Ha, Ha, Haaa” as highlights - brief, combustible cuts that crystallize the record's inventive rhythmic play and punkish pop instincts. Across reviews, commentators note themes of political empathy, immigration and alienation, and a Frankensteinian collage aesthetic where noise and beauty coexist.
Critical voices are united in admiring Deerhoof's cohesion and playfulness, while some caution that maximalist arrangements and very short song lengths can feel cluttered or underdeveloped. Some critics celebrate collaborations such as the Saul Williams feature on “Under Rats” as moments of rhetorical fury and joy, others register that the album's ambition occasionally tips into chaotic excess. Ultimately the consensus score across six professional reviews frames Noble And Godlike In Ruin as a rewarding, inventive entry in Deerhoof's catalogue that contains several of the best songs on the record and repays close, repeated listening. Below, the full reviews unpack where the record's joys and tensions land.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
Ha, Ha Ha, Ha, Haaa
1 mention
"On ‘Ha, Ha Ha, Ha, Haaa’, perilously descending fusion basslines and hypnotic math-rock guitar figures"— The Quietus
Immigrant Songs
5 mentions
"The album closes with ‘Immigrant Songs’, its most incisive lyric"— The Quietus
Kingtoe
4 mentions
"‘Kingtoe’ eavesdrops a conversation between robot and fleshy inventor"— The Quietus
On ‘Ha, Ha Ha, Ha, Haaa’, perilously descending fusion basslines and hypnotic math-rock guitar figures
What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 7 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
The reviewist frames Deerhoof as improbably vital on Noble And Godlike In Ruin, praising the band’s sustained audacity and craft. The writer singles out the album’s most compelling moments as bracing, playful high points that feel earned rather than nostalgic. In a voice part-admiring, part-analytical, the critic highlights the best tracks as evidence of Deerhoof’s continued inventiveness and cohesion. For listeners searching for the best songs on Noble And Godlike In Ruin, the review directs attention to the record’s standout, immediate peaks and its expertly rendered, oddball pop.
Key Points
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The best song is singled out for being a bracing, playful high point that proves the band’s inventiveness.
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The album’s core strengths are longevity, inventive arrangements, and cohesive oddball popcraft.
Themes
Critic's Take
Deerhoof's Noble And Godlike In Ruin is perversely gleeful and gleefully perverse, a record that names its best tracks with equal parts tenderness and menace. The review keeps returning to “Ha, Ha Ha, Ha, Haaa” for its hypnotic math-rock figures and Greg Saunier's gripping percussion, and to “Immigrant Songs” as the album's devastating closer that pairs sweetness with howling feedback. If asked for the best tracks on Noble And Godlike In Ruin, the evidence points squarely to “Ha, Ha Ha, Ha, Haaa” and “Immigrant Songs” as highlights - concise, ambitious and proof of Deerhoof's unerring genius.
Key Points
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The best song is the closer, 'Immigrant Songs', for its emotional lyricism and cathartic sonic climax.
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The album's core strengths are its fusion of pop tunefulness with anarchic noise and incisive political storytelling.
Themes
Th
Critic's Take
Deerhoof's Noble And Godlike In Ruin is a darkly playful record where the best tracks - “Sparrow Sparrow” and “Immigrant Songs” - show the band at their most visceral and inventive. The reviewer leans into the band's virtuosity, praising the tight execution on “Sparrow Sparrow” while celebrating the sprawling, noise-rock freakout of “Immigrant Songs”. Shorter highlights like “A Body of Mirrors” and “Who Do You Root For?” are noted as potent, if underlong, moments that underline the album's instrumental ambition. Overall the album's social commentary and clearer production make it one of Deerhoof's stronger recent efforts, even if a few cuts feel too brief.
Key Points
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The best song is the explosive and brutal "Immigrant Songs" because of its intense noise-rock freakout and visceral impact.
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The album's strengths are instrumental virtuosity, clearer production revealing nuance, and pointed social commentary.
Themes
Critic's Take
Deerhoof's Noble And Godlike In Ruin finds its best tracks in moments of clear purpose - “Overrated Species Anyhow”, “A Body of Mirrors” and “Under Rats”. Todd Dedman writes with acerbic relish, calling the opener a "woozy, bleary call to arms" and the centrepiece "operatic, glacial, and damn well far too short", which frames why these songs stand out as the best tracks on the album. The collaboration with Saul Williams on “Under Rats” is singled out as a highpoint, the jittery duet marrying fury and joy in a way that crystallises the record's intent. Overall, the reviewer insists this is a pointed, righteous record where Deerhoof's shapeshifting energy yields some of their most affecting moments yet.
Key Points
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The best song combines political clarity with musical restraint, exemplified by "A Body of Mirrors" as the album's assured centrepiece.
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The album's core strengths are its genre-hopping inventiveness, political directness, and an undercurrent of joy that offsets serious subject matter.
Themes
Fa
Critic's Take
In his vivid, allegorical style, Matthew Ingate presents Deerhoof’s Noble And Godlike In Ruin as a Frankensteinian collage, singling out “Sparrow Sparrow”, “Disobedience” and “Kingtoe” as the album’s most potent moments. He revels in the album’s mess and riotous invention, praising songs that are at once overwhelming and unforgettable. The reviewer pulls no punches - this is music that may be difficult, but it arrests the mind and showcases Deerhoof’s skill at compositing disparate parts into dazzling, sometimes harrowing songs.
Key Points
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The best song is fierce, disorienting and memorable because it lands like a "sucker punch" while remaining enjoyably inventive.
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The album's core strength is its Frankensteinian collage approach, fusing noise, invention and human spirit into unforgettable, often overwhelming songs.
Themes
Critic's Take
Deerhoof's Noble And Godlike In Ruin is at once coarse and oddly tender, a Frankenstein of mangled grooves and political bite that yields clear best tracks. The review privileges songs like “Kingtoe” and “Immigrant Songs” as the album's emotional centers - “Kingtoe” for its perverse refrain and toy-piano round, “Immigrant Songs” for its pared-down power and abrupt, harrowing close. Even when the record tips into cluttered maximalism, those moments of clarity mark the best tracks on Noble And Godlike In Ruin and reward repeat listens.
Key Points
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The best song is "Kingtoe" for its memorable refrain, toy-piano hook, and converging vocal round.
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The album’s core strengths are abrasive, stitched-together textures and politically charged empathic lyrics.