CD Reviews: Thee Michelle Gun Elephant, Shonen Knife, etc.

By J.P. DuQuette

Thee Greatest Hits

Thee Michelle Gun Elephant

(Universal Sigma)

With the untimely death of guitarist Abe Futoshi and the recent release of a massive (and pricey) DVD set, there's really no better time for the uninitiated to check out the phenomenon that was TMGE, and this recent 2CD compilation is a good place to start. While similarly dressed (but sloppier and more shamelessly over-the-top) brethren Guitar Wolf were more successful Stateside, the rocking band with the inherently stupid name ruled the garage rock-come-punkabilly Shimokitazawa roost back home for a good part of the last two decades. Here it's apparent why that was: absolutely blazing tracks like "Abakareta Sekai" and "Cisco" will have any rock fan up and pogoing. Vocalist Chiba Yusuke is to thank for most of this, his gravelly, emotive style a model of studio intensity. Still, after listening to the 30-some tracks that constitute Thee Greatest Hits, I must admit I felt more tired than energized. This is partly due to the lack of variation in TMGE's musical plan of attack, but I fear most of it has to do with subconscious comparisons to previously released live versions of many of these tracks, nearly all of which kick more ass. My advice: rent and rip this puppy, but track down and treasure Casanova Said "Live or Die", an older (and harder to find) live release that really cranks the noise and energy to 11.

Free Time

Shonen Knife

(Tomato Head)

How many Shonen Knife CDs have I bought in my life? Most of them, actually. Take a listen to their newest album and you'll probably find out why. It's no surprise that Kurt Cobain would puddle up at their shows - despite (incorrect) assumptions that their eternally optimistic, cute and goofy music was irony posing as innocence, the Knife have always represented all that is positive, fun and personally liberating about the punk-rock aesthetic. Although only Naoko Yamano remains from the original line-up, newish members Etsuko (drums) and Ritsuko (bass) have injected a hearty dose of "genki" into the old SK sound (and forgive my blaspheming, Knife Collectors, but they do seem to be more comfortable with their instruments than Atsuko and Michie ever were). Predictably, their harder moments here are the ones that shine, the twin buzzsaws of "Economic Crisis" and "Monster Jellyfish" rocking hardest. But there are some lyrical diamonds among the calmer moments as well, notably Naoko's smile-inducing stories of endless lost touring guitars on "Do You Happen to Know". Yes, if you're an SK noob, I'd heartily recommend their oldest, lowest-fi albums like Burning Farm and late 90s albums like Happy Hour as your launching pad to the Shonen Knife planet, but for long-time fans, Free Time is a worthy edition to their library. Keep on rockin'...

Poet Portraits: Mugenic 1

Various Artists

(Poet Portraits)

I must admit, in this column there's a lot of flip-flopping between Space Shower-friendly Tsutaya rentals and CDs so mad-bizarre you'll only get your hands on them by contacting said artists in their underground bunkers directly. But there is an "in-between", of which Mugenic 1 is a good example: a compilation of basically accessible indie rock that would probably be big on college radio here... if that actually existed. The big winner here is Reo (Nasca Car, Ultra Jr.) and "I Like Beer", a dreamy electro-pop paean to that noblest of beverages, but most other tracks are acceptably worthy as well. SF's "Narukorepushi" is pleasantly reminiscent of early, keyboardless Supercar, and I must admit to falling for the charmingly off-key Akane (must be Shonen Knife Appreciation Syndrome - I heard there are clinical trials now underway for treatment). The mega lo-fi live recording of riot grrrls P-Heavy's "Fallen Leaves" also had my ears pricked up, a proto-Breeders sound that's sure to strike a chord with Sleater-Kinney fans. Itoken's "Long Long November" had me smiling with it's faux-naïvist take on Klimperei toy pop, as did the woozy theremin cabaret of Yuyu. Overall, this omnibus falls into the "slightly edgy Kyoto café culture BGM" category, unpolished, mostly heartfelt and entirely unisex. For a 2CD set under ¥2,000, it's certainly worth a spin in support of local scenes.

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