Rating: *** (3 out of 4)

Availability: Widely Available

Meet Shonen Knife, a group of happy Japanese punk-ettes. The three-woman punk band is very popular in Japan, and has achieved success on American campus radio with their album, Knife It!. This is their latest American release, and it's great.

From the very first track, Shonen Knife shows you it can rock. The fast, rhythm-driven "Explosion!" starts off with a bang and races through to the end, leading into the slower, more poppy "Wind Your Spring." If there's one thing that Shonen Knife has mastered, it's the pop hook, that one line that you'll find yourself repeating over and over, from "E.S.P." to "Keep On Rockin'," these are songs that you'll find yourself singing along to. Even the strange, silly ones like "Magic Joe" and the Sesame Street-esque "Fruits and Vegetables."

The early release version of the album also has a hidden surprise - some tracks are not listed on the back, and you'll find that the last tracks are, in fact, Japanese versions of the first few songs. A special treat for those who want to hear the songs as they were originally written.

Shonen Knife's first independent release in Japan was called "A Fun Shonen Knife Time With Everyone." With this album, the three Japanese rockers prove that every day is a Fun Shonen Knife Time.

This album loses a star for some clumsy lyrical work in one or two songs, but that can be chalked up to the fact that almost all of the songs were written in Japanese orginally. All in all, "Brand New Knife" is a fantastically fun and rocking album.

The opinions expressed in the above reviews are those of Glen Williams and may not represent the views of slac.com or any of its members. Compliments, complaints, and comments should be addressed to gandalf@tricon.net

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