Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo sang his heart out in tribute to Japanese Girls. What is it about Japanese gal’s and rock n roll? As cool as their male counterparts have been (Guitar Wolf, Teengenerate), there’s somethin’ about the fairer sex, guitars and three chords that trumps xy chromosme holders.
Shonen Knife has been the standard bearer for rising sun (daughter?) gal groups for the last 30 years. Over that period, they have released 22 albums! Their fame has been lauded here in the States… they even have their own tribute album; Every Band That Has A Shonen Kinife Who Loves Them (featuring such bands as Redd Kross and Sonic Youth.
And, they had the ultimate honor of being featured on The Powerpuff Girls soundtrack with “Buttercup”.
Kurt Cobain famously declared “When I finally got to see them live, I was transformed into a hysterical nine-year-old girl at a Beatles concert”. And, you know, Kurt was never wrong about women!
Of the trio, only guitar player and singer Naoko Yamano remains as a charter member. Ritsuko Taneda (bass) joined up in 2006 and Emi Morimoto is their newly signed up beatmistress.
Just released for we Occidentals and remastered in English are their new lp Free Time and 2007’s fun! fun! fun!
Because of their lack of familiarity with English, the song titles for Shonen Knife have always been a little strange. Names such as “Gravity Zero Gravity”, “Monster Jellyfish”, & “Capybara” are typical. And the “now in English” lure of the Anglicized version is nice, but it’s hardly needed. The songs are fantastic even if you can’t figure out what they’re sayin’.
Of course, there are plenty of songs that American and British bands have done that I couldn’t understand a word of. The Bad Brains “Pay To Cum”, for example.
Rock n roll is about the meter and beat of the words and how they interface with the music. Shonen Knife mesh the phonetics perfectly. The language they are singing in is irrelevant on many songs.
To compare them to The Ramones would certainly not be out of place. Poppier for sure, but buzzsaw guitars, limited solo’s and 4 on the four drumming just like thuh bruddahs. In fact, they pay tribute to the Forest Hills four with “Ramones Forever”. And I know that ain’t Johnny on “Economic Crisis”, but you couldn’t tell the difference. Even the production values are the same! However, Shonen Knife on occaision rock the songs much longer, even breaking the 6 minute mark on “Southern Islands”.
Come on, buzzsaw guitars, hot chicks, 60’s pop clothes and fractured English. If that ain’t heaven, I don’t know what is!
I dare you to listen to these albums and remain in a bad mood.
