What's not to love about little Japanese girls singing not-so-good English lyrics over über-traditional rock 'n' roll punk jams, right? Well, in case you forgot about them, here's an update: nowadays Shonen Knife are quite a bit older and can probably speak English a little better, but their wits remain sharp as ever, having just tinkered their band into a full-time three-piece lineup. In 2006, the original bassist of Shonen Knife, Atsuko, left the band and moved to LA, so Shonen Knife have been keeping things active with fill-in bass players since then. On their upcoming record, though, the girls have officially invited Ritsuko to become a permanent member, returning the lineup to a trio of power.
Shonen Knife seems to be treating 2009 as if they were a fresh, new band, signing to Good Charamel Records and readying their newest LP Super Group for an August 15 release. The girls have even decided to "musically" start things over, attempting to "go back to the starting point of ROCK." Super Group is all English lyrics this time around and stomps around genres, from the Buzzcocks-influenced title track to the heavy metal of "Pyramid Power" and "Muddy Bubbles Hell," to the almost Jonathan Richman-esque "BBQ Party," and even a Wings cover for good measure. The North American version of Super Group will come with a special bonus track, "Evil Ways," and exclusive cover artwork, and the band plans to do an extensive tour of Europe, Australia, and North America after the album's released.
Super Group tracklisting:
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. Evil Birds (bonus track)