Shonen Knife - Super Group

by Paul Waller

published: 16 / 12 / 2010

Label: Damnably
Format: CD

intro

Excellent return to form on sixteenth album from Japanese veteran punk/grunge rockers Shonen Knife, who have included Kurt Cobain among their fans

The front cover of 'Super Group', Shonen Knife’s 15th album (that’s right, I said 15th!) is a day glow monstrosity. I can hardly bare to look at it. It reminds me of those horrid compilation CD’s you can still find at out of the way petrol stations that cost £1.99. Either that or a Steps album. Regardless it’s pants. Yet when combined with the band's Ramones friendly pop rock as opposed to pop punk the cover seems to make a bit more sense. With just one song that could be called a stinker ('Muddy Bubbles Hell') 'Super Group' sees the band capture the spirit and the past glories of 1992’s 'Let’s Knife', a record I fell in love with thanks to the patronage of one Kurt Cobain. Although this record is actually two years old now, it has only just been released for the UK market. Album 16 is already out of course in the shape of ‘Freetime’. The likes of mid tempo rockers like 'Your Guitar' and grungy pop songs like the title track show both sides of this band's limited musical pallet, but with Shonen Knife you get what you pay for. Just like AC/DC and tThe Ramones before them you buy the record and you know what you are going to get. These Japanese veterans are no Radiohead but the cover version of Wings’ 'Jet' is the best post-Beatles McCartney cover I for one have ever heard. It’s worth the price of this album alone. These three girls definitely lost their appeal when the 5,6,7,8’s appeared on the scene, but now they have returned and don’t show any signs of giving up the ghost just yet. I can not wait for album number 17!

Track Listing:-

1 Super Group
2 Slug
3 Muddy Bubbles Hell
4 Deer Biscuits
5 BBQ Party
6 Pyramid Power
7 Time Warp
8 Na Na Na
9 Your Guitar
10 Jet
11 Lazybone (Live)
12 Muddy Bubbles Hell (Live)
13 Riding On The Rocket (Live)

Band Links:-

https://www.facebook.com/ShonenKnifeOfficial/
http://www.shonenknife.net/index.html
https://twitter.com/shonenknife
https://twitter.com/SK_Atsuko
https://twitter.com/ShonenKnifeRisa
https://twitter.com/SK_Ritsuko

Label Links:-

https://www.facebook.com/damnablylondon/
https://twitter.com/damnably
http://www.damnably.com/
https://instagram.com/damnably/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHMRZSGOEjZMhqSRNrvlaIg

Have a Listen:-

interviews

Interview (2011)

Jamie Rowland speaks to Naoko Yamano, the guitarist/vocalist and founding member Naoko Yamano with Japanese punks about their thirty years together, and the effect of the Ramones on their work

live reviews

Ruby Lounge, Manchester, 30/4/2014

Nicky Crewe misses most of Shonen Knife's gig at the Ruby Lounge in Manchester due to their late stage arrival, but feels that it was better to have seen some of the Tokyo all girl punk trio's set rather than nothing at all

Musician, Leicester, 7/9/2012

Babylon, Ottawa, 11/3/2005