Editorial Reviews
Music Review:
Music Review
Live from the American Ballroom [Live]
D'Albert : Piano Concertos/Overture
Complete First Recordings (1939-1942)
Crammed Global Soundclash 1980-89 [Box set] [Import] [Limited Edition]
Die Legendes Van Boeremusiek [Import]
Amazon.com
Well, not exactly brand new; they still sound like Shonen Knife. There was a time when this all-femme trio from Japan was the hands-down queens of cute, but while their chops (and English) have improved with time, the rest of the world has climbed aboard their junk wagon. Heck, they may not even be the cutest band from Japan anymore! Here in the present, the marriage of bristling garage-rock with go-go girl vocals isn't exactly cause to stop the presses. Still, the cheeky charms that have served them well throughout their career are still intact, evidenced on shiny, irresistible trinkets like "The Perfect World" and "Frogphobia." No longer danger dolls playing muddy slop pop, Shonen Knife fairly flaunt their instrumental prowess. The snappy guitar solos on "Wonder Wine" or "Magic Joe" (a shaky "Hey Bulldog" rip) would have been out of the question ten years ago. "Fruits & Vegetables" is delightful, but they might want to shy away from food songs--that's Cibo Matto's turf. It's unfortunate that there are so many bands doing cute for cute's sake, because Shonen Knife have still got the beat. --John Chandler
Album Description
English language version of 1996 album with 13 tracks. MCA. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.