A Parallel Planets piece by Tomi Uysingco
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Parallel
Planets presents Shonen Knife
in Aural
Audibles Series: Overdrive
Music
Review by Tomi Uysingco
Mentioned:
'70s hard rock, pop weirdness, and indecent band analogies
* * *
I've been slacking. A
lot has happened with my life the past few weeks and months that has
found me binge drinking 24/7 that its not even funny anymore.
Everything is pretty much in shambles and I've been neglecting a lot
of stuff. Its all debauched rock and roll really, with endless
brewskies, clouds of weed smoke and loud music – saying Shonen
Knife's 19th studio album, Overdrive, came at the most
opportune moment would be an understatement: this is the soundtrack
to my life at the moment.
Waking up from a
drunken stupor, I checked my email while my head was still pounding.
I was surprised to see that there was this one email that stood out
from the usual crapstacular “Enlarge your penis!” spam mail
that's filling my inbox like stupid. It was from Earshot Media, a
music and lifestyle PR company. The email contained Shonen Knife's
yet to be released new album and it got me so stoked that I
immediately smoked a bowl and listened to the record.
That was the best idea
I had and it didn't disappoint.
Granted that was a few
weeks ago and I'm just finding time now to post about it is totally
my fault, but also partly the band's because I just haven't stopped
listening to the goddamn record. And smoking bowls.
After 30 years in the
game and 19 albums under their belts, Shonen Knife just won't stop
shitting out hits. Not just yet. Everyone should know them as the
gift that keeps on giving. Still fresh and on their toes, Overdrive
finds the girls at their most rock and roll to date.
From the very first
lick off Naoko Yamano's guitar, Ritsuko Taneda's rumbling bass to the
last drum hit from Emi Morimoto, this new record is sure as hell
gonna beat you down the kawaii-est way possible. A mixed bag of '70s
inspired hard rock filtered with Shonen Knife's staple pop weirdness and quirks,
Overdrive oozes out raw rockers (Bad Luck Song, Robot From Hell) to
food inspired indie jams (Ramen Rock, Fortune Cookie). If the dudes
in Deep Purple and Thin Lizzy slept with a Japanese school girl at a
tucked away ramen joint that serves the best miso ramen ever while
Black Sabbath blares in the background, and that baby grew up as
friends-slash-fuck buddy of Yura Yura Teikoku and Cibo Matto, this
would be that record. Totally not even exaggerating, swear to blog.
It's hard to pick a
favorite track out of all the gems in Overdrive. Gun to head though,
I would pick their song Black Crow. Its dirge like rumble reminiscent
of the stoner rock days of yore fits snugly in my state of mind as of
the moment – menacing, angry and hella stoned as fuck. It is by no
means a the stand out track on the record, that is reserved for
Shopping or Like a Cat, two of the catchiest songs in the album that
would surely make anyone's head bob.
Their album dropped in
North America on April 15 under Good Charamel Records. Now, as I
smoke gross tasting cigarettes and smell of malt liquor from the
night before, I listen to Overdrive yet again. I'll probably listen
to it again after this and light another spliff. I want it to go on
forever. Do yourself a favor, buy the album and get stuck like I am,
because misery may love company, but rock and roll is forever.
More from Shonen Knife
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