April 13, 2006

Shonen Knife In December, the Japanese group Shonen Knife will have been around for 25 years. Here's a nice writeup of their history. They also have a new album coming out.
posted by es el Queso 18 years ago
  • Though I have a soft spot for the Knife, I've never really been able to get beyond their novelty. As for Asian pop acts and the Western market, I think that language is a big hurdle. Surely Wang Faye has an amazing voice, and Japan produces some very interesting stuff (Cornelius, Quluri, Buffalo Daughter, for example), but as every decent Swedish band knows, you gotta sing in (reasonalbly-well accented) English if you want anyone to buy your stuff.
  • Thanks for making me feel old. How's about some OOIOO, Melt Banana, Boredoms, Merzbow... just to name a few
  • I like Cibo Matto, esp. "Spoon" and "Sci-Fi Wasabi"..
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  • i LOVE Cibo Matto, too, and Pizzicato Five... but Shonen Knife were my first Japanese pop girl group love...
  • Perhaps I'm just uncharitable, but I'm not sure that I could really describe it as well-accented English! But it doesn't bother me, and I do harbour a fondness for their music. I especially love Concrete Animals for its melody, the little NWOBHM-esque harmonised guitar motif (listen out after raccoon and tiger!), and the whimsical absurdity of its subject matter: Generally speaking every park has them Commonly they are at the sand box Occasionally they are vandalized by someone They are painted many colors Elephant, raccoon, tiger Concrete animals, Concrete animals Can I ride on your back Concrete animals, Concrete animals Let's take a picture together After 25 years, shonen isn't necessarily quite so accurate any more.
  • I saw Shonen Knife open up for Nirvana when I was in high school. It was a great show, and I was impressed with the performances. That said, I loooove Cibo Matto. I think Shonen Knife's music is cute, but I can listen to Cibo Matto over and over.
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  • My boyfriend and I threw on Cibo Matto the other evening; it was the first time in many years that we'd heard it. And although we agreed it was enjoyable, it seemed very dated to us. You know, it was "that mid-90s" sound. We couldn't put our finger on what it was but figured it was just the way it was recorded. I suddenly felt very old with this realization. Love Shonen Knife. I had no idea they were around for that long.
  • Aren't Cibo Matto American?
  • I recall a story I read once about an American ex-pat who saw Shonen Knife play in Japan, explaining that they were able to deftly entertain both the native crowd and the English-speaking folk in the crowd with hard-rocking songs sung in English. Everyone was moshing and dancing and whatnot, but the English-speaking kids had the added enjoyment of watching everyone rocking out to a song about Fruit Loops and lollipops.
  • Also, interesting comments at the end of the retrospective article about the inability of asian bands to break into the North American market. Arguably Puffy's been about as successful as Shonen Knife at cracking the States—perhaps slightly more so, as Puffy at least has a popular show on the Cartoon Network. Unfortunately this may have had the effect of a) pigeonholing the duo and b) turning Puffy into essentially a novelty act, meaning their days of musical relevance are probably over.
  • Noooo! Puffy's days aren't over! Oh, well, I will have to listen to Halcali then.
  • Wow, 25 years, really?
  • Saw them play at TT the Bears in Boston in '91. Or was it the Middle East? Or was it '92? Can't remember, but they were fun. Boston sucked
  • Tsu Shi Ma Mi Re deserves some attention too! Not just anoher Petty Booka novelty act, either.