Satomi Matsuzaki has been known to perform zipped up in a sleeping bag, or, in the band’s early years, in an orange bear costume. So it’s telling that the Deerhoof frontwoman took the stage last night in an all-black shirt, jeans, and boots ensemble. Could this be a confirmation of the reviewers’ buzz that the madcap noise-rock trio’s latest album, Friend Opportunity, was less oblique, more accessible, than past releases?

It’s true that in recent years, Matsuzaki has started doing less screaming and more singing, and that the Bay-area group has veered toward more conventional song structures. But saying that Deerhoof has become “more conventional” is like saying that an Orca whale lost 40 pounds on TrimSpa. Deerhoof has ingenious absurdity to spare.

Toward the beginning of the show, we were introduced to Peter Venuto, a Deerhoof superfan from Toronto whose “electric rainbow machine” — a three-pronged pinwheel that created a mesmerizing light display on the stage — was making its “maiden voyage” at the Black Cat. It broke down midway through the band’s set, around the same time that one of guitarist John Dieterich’s guitar strings snapped, prompting Matsuzaki to note after the show, “It seems like something always goes wrong,” prompting us to want to scoop her up and cuddle her and tell her that the chaos is part of what makes Deerhoof so great. How could she be worried about a broken guitar string when the sold-out show had been a smashing success?

The band played a smattering of new songs, intermixed with material from their past four albums. Of their new songs, “The Perfect Me” was the standout track. It has a melodic pop-sensibility, but drummer Greg Saunier’s thumping percussion and Dieterich’s acrid guitar manage to keep it in the realm of Deerhoof dissonance. As on many other songs, Matsuzaki doesn’t sing over her bandmates’ raucous instrumentals but rather in response to them, so many songs sound more like conversations between Sailor Moon and a Gwar-ish sentient garbage disposal.

It’s clear from seeing Deerhoof perform that, despite the changes in their sound from one year to the next, they don’t view any one of their albums as isolated from the others. So, for example, a snippet from a new song, “Look Away,” melts into “You’re Our Two” from The Runners Four, which then bleeds into “The Last Trumpeter Swan” from Reveille. For longtime fans, it’s a treat to listen to old songs with a new twist.

Deerhoof isn’t “party music,” and it certainly isn’t “mellow music.” It doesn’t really fit any of the archetypes of how music is supposed to make you feel. We’re not sure what planet these guys came from or where they’re heading next. What we do know is that the kind of person who listens to Deerhoof on his morning commute is probably the kind of person who eats wasabi peas out of a pez dispenser for breakfast, and impulsively pulls off the freeway to play in the ball pit at a McDonald’s playplace. In short: the life we wish we were living.

A recap of last night would be incomplete without a mention of openers Harlem Shakes, whose name is quite fitting. They’re actually from Brooklyn, but close enough. And their energetic indie-pop hooks do induce the shakes. Either the bouncy, doo-wop kind or the spooky, chills-up-your-spine kind.

Lead singer Lexy Benaim has such a broad, confident croon that he’s probably already getting sick of being compared to Julian Casablancas. With propulsive guitar playing from Todd Goldstein and a chorus of “Oohs and Ahhs” from the rest of the guys, the Shakes took us through their repertoire of catchy, straightforward pop songs as well as more complex, ambling numbers from their recently-released debut EP, Burning Birthdays.

The acoustics at the Black Cat did not make for an optimal venue for the band’s Spector-style wall of sound. The keyboard and drums drowned out Benaim’s vocals at times. But HS ended on a high note, showcasing their song-writing chops with “Sickos,” an old favorite that’s been reworked for the EP, and “Old Flames,” a feat of powerchords and thumping percussion. Another highlight of the set was a cover of “Kids,” by their friends The Management. The Harlem Shakes took this electro number and pared it down, adding their signature space-warbles.