Deerhoof
Halfbird
Menlo Park Recordings

Now The Manimal, that was my very first comic book, rendered up on yellow legal pad. And aside from the laughing scorpion stinger-schtick attempted years later in middle school, it's the only hand-drawn joint I ever completed. It was all about communicating with the animals, for that was the only power of Manimal. Oh, and a claw and BMX biker mask breather, red visor, mic up close on the grill, claws slashing and/or retracting. And in the drums, los cueros as I have learned through the mysterious tongues lashed, yo sabia, and through the mask, pounding it out in great tears. And the Manimal, that mix of mud and holy dupe light smushed into a young Aki Tsuyuko sweet child, how the Manimal (or maybe it is actually more Samus Aran in actuality, i.e., Womanimal) whispered to all the animals too. How to rub at such scrawled eyes and reveal the secret identity, I don't know, 'cept with a 'specially pink 'raser on the old pad.

Was there ever a face? Well, it's definitely female formed here, anime teats and even rock supporting, even if only in a Wonder Twin Bra sorta lifting. Gleek-rock? Okay, so Manimal did have a monkeyish sorta sidekick, Banana Board, but it was a brotherly bettering of that ol' "Form Ice Bridge!" bullshit. What a weak power that was. Girls are so much cooler than dudes.

But she is all fuckin' that, hot fox-hawk half-bird, that Satomi, swooping and directly communicating to my own birds with her squawks (they tweeting back in their own soul brother chirpy way) to her, pogoing 'round the cage to this new hybrid rock. Xylophones resound from their beaks and bars. And the canaries seem to be singing about bowl cuts and chain wallets, squeaky tees. It's a switch hit like "Freaky Friday". She talks to the animals and they rock back. Could Deerhoof have really come out of K, as some mutant pod growth as well to the shiny rock animal body? 'Ppears so, cutting off crucial wiggly rawk species and splicing them back together into new things like pigeon-rats and whatnot. And I just had a dream about a "Rat Attack," so it is my new fave track here. Thus twist your claw into the horn hands or goat hoofs, as there is not enough of this sweet stomping these days, either cloven or Coven style.

Copyright © 2002 Andy Beta