Deerhoof

Paring down to a power trio clears out some of Deerhoof’s cacophonous clutter, which only means their formidable powers are even more ferocious. Drummer Greg Saunier twists his sticks around every dissectible polyrhythm, pushing and pulling with the tightly reined chaos of remaining guitarist John Dieterich and bassist Satomi Matsuzaki, who has become less of a musical straight woman to hold her own with the other two. Older songs soared like classic rock hits, while new material — due in January — finds them regaining momentum after the overcooked studio experiments of 2005’s The Runners Four.