“Please call us to your party. Riding on a bison’s back, singing Flying Jelly Attack. We’ll be there,” lead guitarist Naoko of Shonen Knifesings on the first track, “Party,” of their new album – Sweet Candy Power.
It’s a perfect opening for a fun record of power hooks, punk rock drumming, and good time grooves. Any Shonen Knife album is a breath of fresh air and a vacation from the blues and bad news of the world, and this one is no exception.
“Dizzy” is a garage rocker about not feeling well to the point of putting on your pajamas wrong, but it’s nothing that a good night’s sleep and a cup of coffee can’t cure. The title track is already a crowd favorite at their live shows, and it’s no surprise. It has a great shouting chorus and chugging riffs that get you moving like you just ate a handful of Pop Rocks.
“My Independent Country” encourages all of us to take care of ourselves and stand for our beliefs. It’s a heavy rocker with hits of British metal with Naoko singing lyrics like “There are no rules. I make laws by myself. I’m a ruler and loser. Everything is in my hands.” “Wave Rock” brings in some surf riffs, which makes you think it would be a song about the ocean but it’s actually a song about desert rock formations.
The band’s drummer, Risa, takes over lead vocals on “Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches” – a song about her two favorite foods coming together to create the greatest culinary treat on Earth (to her at least). It’s as fun a song as the name implies. On “Never Never Land,” Naoko sings about losing her sunglasses on a Disney park ride. It has a bit of a Green Day vibe to it with its slow groove and synths.
“Peppermint Attack” has a wicked bass grove by Atsuko and her sister, Naoko, singing about being attacked by mosquitos and engaging in a “great battle” with them using peppermint spray, alcohol, and water. Atsuko sings lead on the bright, sunny “California Lemon Trees,” which I imagine was inspired by the trees in her backyard in Los Angeles. The final song on the album is “Match 3” – a salute to games like Candy Crush and Bejeweled, to which Naoko is hopelessly addicted (“Match 3 in my brain, Match 3 in my mind, Match 3 in a train, Match 3 in my bed.”).
There’s nothing to not like about this record. It’s fun from beginning to end and just what everyone needs right now.
I’m still a bit stunned that I was able to conduct an e-mail interview with pop-punk legends Shonen Knife this week, especially with them finishing their North American tour and about to embark on their Australia / New Zealand tour. Many thanks to them for taking the time to answer this humble writer’s questions, and to Andrew Scott for setting up this treat.
7th Level Music: First, I want to say thanks for stopping by Chicago’s Subterranean during your “Sweet Candy Power” tour. It was a fun show. I read your blog posts about the tour and also wanted to thank you for writing about the Mitsuwa Market. I didn’t know about it until I read your blog. Do you always stop there when you play Chicago?
Naoko: Yes, we do. There are some Japanese supermarkets in the U.S. When we have time, we try to stop there and eat lunch and buy Japanese food. I love Japanese bakery. I often buy Japanese pastries there.
7LM: I also read how the night before the show at Subterranean that you played the stage at a Hardee’s restaurant parking lot in Springfield, Illinois. I saw photos from the show and it looked like you had a great time and there was a big crowd. Were you surprised by the size of the crowd?
Naoko: I was very surprised and glad for the big crowd. It is the only restaurant which has a stage in a big parking lot. People there made lots of effort to make a fun event. The audience was very positive. They came to the venue to have fun. The atmosphere was very peaceful and happy. It was a great event.
7LM: Were there any other shows during the tour that were especially fun or surprising?
Naoko: We had very good reaction in all cities in Canada. It was the first time after a few years to come to Canada. The audience seemed to be enjoying our show a lot and I was happy, too.
7LM: I know you’re off to Australia and New Zealand next. Do you have any favorite venues there?
Naoko: I love all venues but especially I like to play at music festivals. We’ll play at The Lost Lands festival this time. I’m looking forward to playing there. I also like to play in New Zealand. It will be a rare chance to play there for us. Our audience in Australia and New Zealand are very cheerful and friendly like people in North America.
7LM: The new Sweet Candy Power album is very good. The title track got a big cheer from the Chicago crowd, and I wondered if there are American candies that you love that you take back with you to Japan? Also, are there any Japanese candies you wish you could get while you tour the United States? I, for one, love Japanese green tea candy and buy it whenever I can find it.
7LM: One thing I noticed on the new album is that it has a lot of different rock influences – punk, pop, garage, British metal, and more. Did you decide to play the different styles before recording began or was it something that you explored as you worked on the record?
Naoko: I wrote all the songs in [the last] 10 years. I listen to various kinds of rock and am inspired. I especially like 1970’s and 60’s rock and R&B, funk, disco music. Everything began from when I write songs.
7LM: The Subterranean show was the second time I’ve seen you live. The first was in Tucson, Arizona during the Ramen Adventure tour in 2017. I remember Risa saying during that show it was only her second time in the U.S. I’ve never been able to learn how you met Risa. She is a beast behind the drum kit. How did all of you meet? Risa, how did you start drumming and who are some of your drumming influences. Do you have any thoughts on the passing of Ginger Baker?
Naoko: Risa plays the drums in her family band called Brinky. Her father plays the bass and her sister play the guitar and vocal. They covered Shonen Knife songs. Our manager and I found them playing our songs through YouTube. Risa was a high school student at that time. Then there was an opportunity that Brinky opened for our show. We got to know each other.
Risa: When I was 14 years old, I started to form a band with my friends. I was asked to be a drummer from my friends. Then I started to play the drums.
I was influenced by Atsuko because she is the original drummer of Shonen Knife because I’m a fan of Shonen Knife. I set cymbals and tom toms like her. Other than her, I like John Bonham, Taylor Howkins, and Chad Smith.
I was listening to Cream a lot when I was a child because my father liked them. I’ve never seen Ginger Baker’s drumming. If I go to heaven someday, I would like to see him playing the drums directly.
7LM: I know Atsuko makes your show outfits. Atsuko, do you design the tour shirts as well? You were all out of my size (medium) by the time you got to Chicago, but I’m glad you sold many of them.
Atsuko: I’m inspired by 60’s and 70’s fashion. Naoko designs some T-shirts in these days and for [our 2019] U.S. tour T-shirts, Miyoko from Good Charamel Records, which release our albums, designed it.
Naoko: I’m sorry that we had many sold out sizes. We will prepare enough next time.
7LM: I always like to ask bands this: Are there any bands back home that you think more people should know? Are there any other bands from Osaka or elsewhere in Japan you think your fans would like? I recently discovered High Rise and Bo Ningen in the last few years and think both are great.
Naoko: I like Extruders and Convex Level. Extruders is a very unique band. Their music is one and only, I think. From Osaka, Yellow Machinegun is cool. They are all female band of 3 pieces and play hardcore.
7LM: Lastly, outside of music (and candy and ice cream and capybaras), what else do you love to talk about or what other hobbies do you enjoy?
Naoko: I like to play tennis and watching men’s pro tennis matches. Atsuko also likes it and we have matches when she comes to Osaka or I go to Los Angeles where she lives.
