Back The Knife

Shonen Knife
Genre: Pop Punk / Rock / Japanese Pop
From: 大阪府, Japan

For those of you out there who have been looking the other way over the past 25 years or have a blind spot when it comes to non western music Shonen Knife is the most legendary all-female Japanese pop-punk band in the history of the world.

The trio formed in Osaka, Japan way back in 1981. Heavily influenced by 1960s girl groups, pop bands, and early punk rock acts, such as The Beach Boys and The Ramones, they play stripped-down songs with melodies even more infectious than swine flu and simplistic, exuberant lyrics sung both in Japanese and English. Despite their pop-oriented nature, the trio maintains a distinctly underground garage rock sound rooted in edgy instrumentation and D.I.Y. aesthetics.

And they're back with a great new album, 'Super Group'. As you'd expect with Shonen Knife the album has it's share of cuteseyness like the harmonies that close 'Na Na Na' but it's not all perky charm.The title track is a dynamite blast of old school punk pop, kinda like the Buzzcocks in kimonos while 'Muddy Bubbles Hell' and 'Pyramid Power' are more metallic, like the result of a hostile takeover of Black Sabbath by Hello Kitty. 'BBQ Party' starts with a Jonathan Richman like intro before transforming itself into the purest form of punk rock. They girls even find time to indulge themselves with a boisterous and amusing cover of Paul McCartney and the Wings song 'Jet'.

With a title like Super Group Shonen Knife could have made a rod for their own backs but the album is super and they are a Super Group.

Go Try

MP3 - Shonen Knife - Super Group
If anyone from the IFPI is reading this track is published with the permission of AAM PR so please refrain from alleging infringement of copyright.

Go Buy









Shonen Knife 'Super Group' from Good Charamel Records

Go Visit

Shonen Knife - Myspace // Website // Last.FM

Go View

Shonen Knife
It's A New Find