Search - Shonen Knife :: Burning Farm

Korewa Shonen Naifu no deban desu

Daniel J. Hamlow | Narita, Japan | 06/10/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Or, in English, this is Shonen Knife's debut. Burning Farm (1983) was the debut album of vocalist and guitarist Naoko Yamano, drummer and backing vocalist Atsuko Yamano, and bassist and vocalist Michie Nakatani, a.k.a. Shonen Knife. A throwback to 70's power-pop a la the Ramones or Devo, with some Beatles mixed in, and titles and lyrics that are either silly, disjointed, and/or surreal a la the B-52s. Most of the songs here are in Japanese, but the English translations are included.



The fuzz guitar-laced rocker "Miracles" is typical of their Beatles meets Ramones songs. After singing about Miracle Woman, who's neither a superhero or terrorist, they go into a silly chant going "myah myah myah myah..." See, silly, just as I said. But speaking of superheroes, the next song is the brisk pop-reggae of "Parallel Woman," who's the younger sister of Titanium Man and "a girl of mental disunion."



The Ramones-sounding "Twist Barbie" about a girl who can dance well and is popular with the boys, is sung in English, with a chorus that has surfer type undertones. The hard-driving "Watching Girl" also has the similar sound, though I say it owes a nod to "EMI" by the Pistols in some parts. The live versions of both songs aren't as hard, though it sounds that the Crocodile, the place where these versions were recorded, is a small club.



They also sing about food a lot. "Elephant Pao Pao" with some skiffle riffs, is about an elephant who likes bananas, but the lyrics then go on a tangent by saying how it's unhealthy to stay in one's room all day, before saying "eat banana and go out cheerfully with me."



"Tortoise Brand Pot Cleaner's Theme"-how whacked out is that? Yet with its fuzz punk guitar and brisk drumming, Shonen Knife shows they can do a song to push a product. The "ichi ni san shi" that can be heard after the first run-through of the song is Japanese for "1 2 3 4." Short song at 50 seconds.



Blondie could've done "A Day At The Factory," which is a portrait of a man who works hard at the steelworks everyday. The B-52's-like title track has the "na na na na" that precedes Ini Kamoze's "Here Comes the Hotstepper" and fuzz guitar mixed with some tribal type percussion.



"Parrott Polynesia" makes references to Dr. Dolittle from Hugh Lofting's books, where the title bird accompanies said doctor and sees cannibal plants, two-headed rhinos, and other exotic things. Dub reggae done double time is how I'd describe it.



An amusing moral is told in "Banana Fish," of how a greedy banana fish ate so many bananas he couldn't get out of a trap. And that ends SK's first album, which is a great beginning, but they kept improving album after album."

Not bad but could have been better

Michael A. Arlt | Wilmington, De. | 02/26/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It's hard to belive this was recorded over 22 years ago, it still sounds great. The sound is better on this than the 1990 Gasatanka 2-fer CD, much smoother and less harsh. Audio science has come far in the last 15 years. I'm glad this wasn't remixed, the cheap sounding production and the out of phase guitar and vocals were part of the charm that still hold up 22 years later. Oglio should have copied the 1995 MCA Japanese disc with the studio tracks, the two live bonus tracks are horrible. They sound like they came from a 6th generation cassette copy that was recorded by someone in the middle of the room. Not bad but could have been better.

"