Shonen Knife - Adventure

  by Erick Mertz

published: 30 / 5 / 2016

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Review

The girls from Shonen Knife are back with another record, 'Adventure' - ten songs that fit in perfectly with their career discography that has spanned almost twenty releases. This is the band that charmed America with songs like 'Public Bath' while on tour at Lollapalooza, insinuated themselves on the American public as a kind of off-beat riff on Christmas songs, BMX, Beavis & Butthead and of course, the Carpenters. Not bad. Oh, and they became Kurt Cobain’s favorite band, touring in support of 'Nevermind'. Although Shonen Knife has formed the late career laugh lines, they’re still a fun-filled delight, someone you can chuckle at and sing along too. While some might dismiss the pint-sized, Japanese trio’s broken English lyrics and Motown grooves as a novelty act, longevity clearly defies that pigeonhole. Naoko Yamano lays out killer guitar riffs and her voice, although tending toward cliché, has a characteristic sneer that gives an ironic twist to hard rocking 'Rock And Roll T-Shirt' and a bite to 'Dog Fight' that after so many spins, never gets old. It’s hard not to be charmed by tracks like the swooning 'Green Tangerine' which repeats the chorus “tiny green tangerine/happy fruit for you” in a bittersweet song about not being able to know the future. It’s that type of contrast that makes Shonen Knife work, the ability to gleefully twist on expectation. 'Adventure' isn’t a classic by any stretch of the definition, but it’s among their best efforts since 2009’s 'Super Group' or 'Free Time' a year later. There are a few predictable lead weights at the end of the disc ('Tasmanian Devil') and a Motorhead pastiche in 'ImI' which feels a little thin but on repeat, it’s a solid, enjoyable listening harkening back to when rock was genuinely breaking out of its mould and could attain freshness.

Track Listing:-

1 Jump into the New World
2 Rock'n'roll T-Shirt
3 Calabash
4 Dog Fight
5 Wasabi
6 Green Tangerine
7 Iml
8 Hawaii
9 Tasmanian Devil
10 Cotton Candy Clouds

Band Links:-

https://www.facebook.com/ShonenKnifeOf
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/damnablylondo
https://twitter.com/damnably
http://www.damnably.com/
https://instagram.com/damnably/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHMRZ

Have a Listen:-