New Wave for the New Week #101 BY REQUEST!

[All throughout the month of November, all NW4NW entries are based on requests made by you, dear readers. Because of the amount of requests received, there will often be more than one entry per week during this month - I recommend signing up for email alerts on the left-hand side of the screen so that you don't miss any of the fun! I cannot take anymore requests for this month, but please always feel free to suggest bands you might like to see featured in future NW4NW posts. You may do so either in the comments section of this post, on Twitter, or on the Facebook Fanpage.]

My good friend Dave Demmin is one of a handful of repeat requesters from last year, I'm pleased to say.  Dave knows good music, with tastes definitely leaning toward "surf punk." Since I'd already done a NW4NW entry on one of his favorite bands, The Surf Punks (surprise surprise!), he suggested another band that traded in that same beach-y twangy sound.

Mike Palm, Scott Miller and Steve Soto formed Agent Orange in Fullerton, CA, as the 1970's faded into the sunset.  Drawing as much from The Ventures and Dick Dale as they did from The Ramones and The Sex Pistols, Agent Orange set themselves apart from the emerging hardcore scene by mitigating the hyperspeed roar with pop sensibility and a laid-back California surfer attitude.  Their earliest record, the 7-inch EP Bloodstains, caught the ear of LA disc jockey/scenester Rodney Bingenheimer, who spun the title track regularly on his radio program on the influential KROQ as well as including Agent Orange cuts on each of the first two Rodney On The ROQ compilation albums before the band even had their own first album out.

That local exposure created an expectant buzz around Agent Orange's 1981 debut LP, and Living In Darkness delivered the goods: a slightly more polished recording of "Bloodstains" highlighted a pack of now-classics including "Everything Turns Grey," "Too Young To Die," and "A Cry For Help In A World Gone Mad." Their surf-rock tendencies were brought to the forefront with covers of genre standards "Pipeline" and "Miserlou." One of the best records of that year, and simply a must-own.  The following year's Bitchin' Summer EP kept the momentum going with similar material. (The later CD reissue sports different cover art and appends both EPs.) 

After a two-year wait, Agent Orange was back in the record racks with When You Least Expect It. Originally released as a 4-song EP, it was later reissued with two more tracks added.  Kicking off with the insanely catchy "It's Up To Me And You" and sporting a cranked-up cover of Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody To Love," the record saw the band begin to solidify a fan base of surfers of a different kind - those who surfed the sidewalks instead of the waves.  Their next full album, 1986's This Is The Voice, capitalized on the skate-punk scene.  Sporting some great tunes ("It's In Your Head," "Fire In The Rain") and crisper production than previous efforts, its poppier sound makes it a somewhat different record from Living In Darkness, though no less enjoyable.

After that record, Agent Orange dropped off the map for awhile, reappearing in 1991 with a live album, Real Live Sound.  With an ever-revolving group of sidemen, Palm was keeping the band alive on the road; this album, while not essential, documents the band's setlist of the era: a mix of back-catalog classics and well-chosen covers, played in front of an appreciative crowd.  New Agent Orange material would not arrive until five years later with the release of Virtually Indestructible.  No new ground was broken here - fans of This Is The Voice and When You Least Expect It will love Virtually Indestructible, too.

Two attempts at "Greatest Hits" type collections are worth noting if only for the buyer-beware factor: Greatest And Latest from 2000 sports some new material and some classic titles, but these are 2000-vintage re-recordings of old material, not the original recordings.  Sonic Snake Sessions is a two-disc set released in 2003 which basically combines When You Least Expect It, This Is The Voice, and Real Live Sound under one title.  Neither is altogether bad, but be sure you know what you're getting.

Palm and company continue to tour - in fact, I recently had to kick myself for missing them live in Harrisburg, PA, about 45 minutes from me, about a month or so back - and given the historically long stretches between Agent Orange releases, we can hold out hope that there is more good music to come.  In the meantime, enjoy a couple of classics: here is a live performance circa 1983 of "Everything Turns Grey," and an audio-only of the classic "Bloodstains." Thanks go out to Dave Demmin for a great request!

New Wave for the New Week #100 BONUS ENTRY! BY REQUEST!

[All throughout the month of November, all NW4NW entries are based on requests made by you, dear readers. Because of the amount of requests received, there will often be more than one entry per week during this month - I recommend signing up for email alerts on the left-hand side of the screen so that you don't miss any of the fun! I cannot take anymore requests for this month, but please always feel free to suggest bands you might like to see featured in future NW4NW posts. You may do so either in the comments section of this post, on Twitter, or on the Facebook Fanpage.]

100!

When I started the NW4NW series, it never even crossed my mind that I would reach the century mark, but the pleasantly surprising popularity of these posts has kept the series alive this long, and the end is not yet in sight thanks to the suggestions you guys have sent my way - not only during this month's All Request stretch, but throughout the life of this series.  I thank you all!  Once it became apparent to me that 100 was within reach, I started to think about what band would be an appropriate subject for such a milestone.  As it turns out, I didn't have to make the decision: the rules for All Request Month are unbending, and state that the requests must be filled in the order I received them.  And, as it turns out, I couldn't have scripted it better!

My life would be very different, and far less rich, were it not for the many years of friendship I have enjoyed with Philadelphia-based artist Sue White.  We have been great friends since high school, even though there have been stretches (some far too long) where we fell out of touch.  It came as no surprise to me that Sue came up with one of my favorite requests of the batch this year, nor did it surprise me that the Universe saw fit to have it land in the 100 slot.

Born in Long Beach, CA, and the California Institute of the Arts, Suburban Lawns were the epitome of the New Wave sound: herky-jerky robotic rhythms; detached, emotionless female vocals; futuristic themes; sarcastic, sometimes goofy, lyrics.  Their music lurched and twisted as they sang about eating Doritos with aliens, bloody shark attacks, or - in their most (in)famous lyrical pun - a misunderstanding about someone's profession and reproductive organs...but  more about that in a moment.

Su Tissue was the perfect lead vocalist for such a band.  Managing to appear at once adorable and psychotic, she was an onstage presence that demanded attention. Her counterpart, guitarist and occasional vocalist Vex Billingsgate, wrote or co-wrote most of the band's material.  Together with Frankie Ennui, Chuck Roast and John Gleur, they debuted in 1979 with the self-released single "Gidget Goes To Hell."  The record quickly became an underground favorite, and director Jonathan Demme made a short-subject film to accompany the song, which aired on the November 15, 1980, episode of Saturday Night Live. (I'm still waiting for that season to come out on DVD, to see that clip again, along with Captain Beefheart's legendary live appearance and Charles Rocket sinking his career with one misplaced F-word!)

That exposure helped them get signed with I.R.S. Records, who released their eponymous debut album in 1981. Suburban Lawns may be the ultimate New Wave record. From the machine-gun delivery of pop-culture touchstones in the opener, "Flying Saucer Safari," to the unsettling "Green Eyes," to the insidiously catchy "Unable," Su Tissue yips and yelps and skitters over her band's angular musical landscape.  Billingsgate's vocal turns aren't quite as disorienting ("Protection," "Mom And Dad And God"), but his comparative normalcy feels out of place in this environment. 

And then, there is "Janitor."  "Janitor" was issued first as a single, before the album's release, and immediately caused a stir over its lyrics.  It's chorus is supposedly based on a conversation Su had with someone at a very loud party one night.  She asked this person what he did for a living, and he replied "I'm a janitor;" straining to hear him over the party din, Su thought he had said, "Oh, my genitals," and so the chorus of the song was created.

Reduced to a foursome after John Gleur left the band, Suburban Lawns re-emerged in 1983 with the five-song Baby EP.  The more out-there aspects of their personality were reigned in for this record, but while the overall result lacks some of the punch of the album, the lead single, "Flavor Crystals," ranks among Suburban Lawns' best songs. 

Soon after, the Suburban Lawns went their separate ways.  Jonathan Demme. who had remained a fan, cast Su Tissue in his film Something Wild (she played the role of Peggy Dillman) in 1986.  In 1982, between Suburban Lawns records, Su released a solo record, Salon de Musique, which explored variations on a repeated piano loop across three lengthy, though fascinating, tracks.  She would go on to study classical piano at Berkley College of Music after the Lawns disbanded.

All of the Suburban Lawns material (as well as Su Tissue's solo record) is out of print; a CD reissue of their catalog is long overdue. It is well worth taking the time to search out their records, though - and don't be put off when you occasionally see high dollar figures attached to them. Keep looking; they can be had for budget prices. 

In the meantime, here is some Suburban Lawns music for you to enjoy: First up, a brief clip of the band introducing themselves and performing a snippet of "Gidget Goes To Hell" (not the entire song, unfortunately); next, the video for the lyrically legendary "Janitor;" and finally, and audio-only clip of "Flavor Crystals."  My great thanks to Sue White for this request, and for (without realizing it) helping to choose the perfect band for entry number 100!

New Wave for the New Week #99 BONUS ENTRY! BY REQUEST!

[All throughout the month of November, all NW4NW entries are based on requests made by you, dear readers. Because of the amount of requests received, there will often be more than one entry per week during this month - I recommend signing up for email alerts on the left-hand side of the screen so that you don't miss any of the fun! I cannot take anymore requests for this month, but please always feel free to suggest bands you might like to see featured in future NW4NW posts. You may do so either in the comments section of this post, on Twitter, or on the Facebook Fanpage.]

I always enjoy discovering bands I've never heard before - especially when they turn out to be older groups that somehow flew under my radar.  Out of the many requests I received this month, two or three such obscure names popped up, but they were bands that I had at least known of, even if I had never actually heard their music.  My friend Tom Quinn wins the prize this year, though, for completely stumping me by requesting The Prefab Messiahs. 

Accepting the challenge, I spent an evening surfing the Internets for information and/or samples, and located two Prefab Messiahs tracks being made available at WFMU's utterly indispensable Free Music Archive (bookmark it now - you'll spend hours there!).  Knowing Tom's predilection for Lo-Fi garage bands (check his own work with The Mud Pie Sun), I was not at all surprised at the sounds I heard; their pedigree, however, caused me to raise an eyebrow.

Their legend, from the liner notes of their lone release, 1998's Devolver, goes like this:

"In the first half of the 1980s, in the post-industrial landmine known as Worcester, Massachusetts (a/k/a/ Wormtown) -- a city whose two industrial complexes made it number one on the Soviet Union's hit list in case of war -- three wise men, accompanied by an equally strange entourage of followers and inventors, ignored all the rules of how to become successful musicians and created a unique legacy of their own, and with it, the era of "Peace, Love and Alienation." 

The journey began at Clark University, where two devotees of Dada terrorism, Xeth "Xerox" Feinberg and "Egg" Al Nidlepostered its campus with posters announcing "talentless guitarist and drummer seeking bassist and lead guitarist to form post-new wave pop pseudo-psychedelic band." It drew the attention of Kris "Trip" Thompson, a new member of the church of all things psychedelic and guitarist-without-a working guitar Mike "Doc" Michaud. They began practicing at the local community radio station, using only pizza boxes for a drum kit, and were not so politely asked to leave by half the station. The other half demanded they play on the air, and soon afterwards, the Prefab Messiahs were on the airwaves asking the question, "Whatever happened to Cousin Artie? / He blew his mind out at a '60s party...," and intended or not (thanks to the fact the local underground club's doorman was indeed a popular scenester named Artie, and still scarred from having been forced to attend Woodstock), the residents of Wormtown took it as a celebration of one of their own. 

With its Betty Crocker-like instant success, and fame (or at least a good used clothing store) just around the corner, "Egg" Al decided to leave the performing line-up and like Gepetto and Malcolm McClaren, pull strings from behind the scenes (he attempted to bring Ronald McDonald into its lineup - but alas, failed by a single screw of pulling off the artistic coup of the century). He was replaced by Ringo, a Casio instrument whose existence irritated serious music fans, but delighted music lovers. 

In the spring of '82 the group entered the "Spring Rock Showcase" at the city's largest nightclub [Sanctuary]. Heavily promoted by the region's biggest radio station [WAAF], it attracted a large hard rock crowd, most of who were beyond stunned to see the Prefabs take the stage with Ringo - but not as horrified as when they learned the group had won its preliminary round enroute to the semi-finals.

The Prefabs' belief in their music earned the respect of Nebulas drummer Tony Serrato, who volunteered to replace Ringo. They took their prize and recorded "The 16th Track" and "Desperately Happy", and with a real drummer, rapidly became one of the city's best live acts. 

Time constraints eventually forced Serrato to leave the band, and he was replaced by Billy Brahm, from Bobb Trimble's equally mythical Crippled Dog Band."

And that, folks, is the entirety of the available information about the band online.  This same story is repeated, verbatim, on just about every site that mentions them; the few pages that do not reproduce these liner notes only paraphrase them.  Devolver, then, purported to be the long-awaited release, finally, of songs recorded a decade and a half before; it is now out of print itself, though it can be had on Amazon if you're willing to pony up the dough.

Now, to add to the legend: This year, there appeared online a free-to-download album by a mysterious group called The Huh?, The Hypothetical Return Of The Prefab Messiahs, described as "an album of original music inspired by the legendary career of The Prefab Messiahs." Finding The Huh?'s MySpace page, one will discover the name of Prefab Messiah Xeth "Xerox" Feinberg as the identity behind this creation. 

It all seems to lead to more questions than answers, but the music is fantastic pseudo-psychedelic acid-garage rock.  I won't try to tell you more - I've shared all I now know.  You take it from here, by checking out two video clips: the first, for "Desperately Happy," is a perfect duplication of the late-60s/early-70s cartoon rock band shows I grew up on (think The Archies, Josie & the Pussycats, The Banana Splits...), the second, for the decidedly trippier "The 16th Track," boasts a 1983 vintage.  Thank you, Tom, for the request and for opening my ears to something new...er, old...

New Wave for the New Week #98 BONUS ENTRY! BY REQUEST!

[All throughout the month of November, all NW4NW entries are based on requests made by you, dear readers. Because of the amount of requests received, there will often be more than one entry per week during this month - I recommend signing up for email alerts on the left-hand side of the screen so that you don't miss any of the fun! I cannot take anymore requests for this month, but please always feel free to suggest bands you might like to see featured in future NW4NW posts. You may do so either in the comments section of this post, on Twitter, or on the Facebook Fanpage.]

Cover of Let's ActiveOver on the Facebook Fanpage, my friend Tom Grochowski, who I've known since the 8th grade and who is a great person to discuss music, film, politics, and Morton's Pot Pies with, wrote, "I was initially hesitant to request, given your remarkable thorough-ness. I'm pleased to find at least a few omissions to keep [New Wave for the New Week] going!"  Thank you for the compliment, Tom, but thorough-ness? Far from it!  One of the things that has amazed me about the suggestions that have come in for this NW4NW All Request Month is that you folks have stocked me with enough suggestions to fill Mondays almost all the way up to All Request Month 2011!  Tom's "hesitant" request is a great one:

When North Carolina's Let's Active released the five-song Afoot EP in 1983, they sent music critics everywhere rushing to their thesauruses to find synonyms for "jangly" and "cheerful." Led by wunderkind producer, songwriter and musician Mitch Easter, the trio made tasty little nuggets of bubblegummy ear candy that melted into gooey goodness in your brain, giving you that sugar rush that demanded more! But all was not exactly as it seemed on the surface: once you broke the spell of the giddy pop sloshing over your eardrums and started to pay attention to the lyrics, well, maybe "cheerful" wasn't the best description.  The big "hit" from the record is one of the most spot-on break-up songs ever written, "Every Word Means No." Beneath its ringing guitars and shimmering cuteness is a very sad narrator who wishes he could have back what is now forever lost.

And so it was with Let's Active: always that juxtaposition of joyful noise and mournful message.  Easter formed the group in 1981 with drummer Sara Romweber and bassist Faye Hunter, but it wasn't until Easter made his name producing early R.E.M. records that people started to take notice.  The band's unusual name, by the way, was taken from one of those Japanese T-shirt slogans that was written by someone who knew just enough English to get it wrong.  After Afoot was met with critical accolades, the trio went about creating a full-length album.  Cypress built on the foundation that Afoot put in place, beginning to explore more psychedelic sounds and complex themes, but still cloaking it all in shiny Southern new-pop charm.  The lead single, "Waters Part," became a college radio hit; their cover of an obscure single by unknowns The Outskirts, "Blue Line," is among their best efforts ever. (Afoot and Cypress were later reissued as single CD.)

The success and acclaim of his continuing production and session work for other bands made Easter a highly sought after commodity.  As a result, Let's Active came to be viewed more or less as "The Mitch Easter Show," and Hunter and Romweber soon departed.  The third Let's Active album, Big Plans For Everybody, turned out to actually be "The Mitch Easter Show."  Writing and singing all of the songs and playing damn near every instrument on the album (with a few friends helping out here and there), Easter single-handedly kept the band name alive with the hopes of finding a new permanent line-up in the near future.  The record has its rough patches, but the majestic "Fell" is worth the price of admission alone.  1988's Every Dog Has His Day was again largely Easter himself, although Angie Carlson (who would spend a brief period as Mrs. Mitch Easter) took some of the instrumental load this time around.  Together they found a couple more folks to round out a fairly stable touring line-up, but Let's Active never went back into the recording studio.

Easter focused his efforts more on the production side of things throughout the 1990s, but in the past decade has played with the bands Shalini and The Fiendish Minstrels, as well as recording a solo album.  

In order to fill Tom's request for Let's Active, please enjoy both "Every Word Means No" and "Blue Line." Thank you for your request, Tom!

New Wave for the New Week #97 BY REQUEST!

[All throughout the month of November, all NW4NW entries are based on requests made by you, dear readers. Because of the amount of requests received, there will often be more than one entry per week during this month - I recommend signing up for email alerts on the left-hand side of the screen so that you don't miss any of the fun! I cannot take anymore requests for this month, but please always feel free to suggest bands you might like to see featured in future NW4NW posts. You may do so either in the comments section of this post, on Twitter, or on the Facebook Fanpage.]

Cover of Gene Loves JezebelNext up in our month-long parade of NW4NW Requests is the suggestion made originally by James Holmes, who I first met a few years back on the old VH1-Classic message board.  James listens to a pretty wide scope of music, ranging from New Wave to Pop to Rock, and his request is a band that neatly encapsulates all of those genres, despite splitting into two versions of itself.

In-fighting amongst bandmates is certainly nothing new in the music world; when the feuding folks happen to be brothers, it can get a bit more intense, as seen in the sharp divisions between Ray and Dave Davies of The Kinks and, more recently, Noel and Liam Gallagher's onstage sparring in the band Oasis.  So it was for the Brothers Aston, Welsh-born twins who were the impetus for - and the deconstruction of - Gene Loves Jezebel.

Gene Loves Jezebel emerged from an earlier group, Slav Aryan, around 1981, and first came to public attention with their 1983 debut album Promise, and its main single, "Bruises."  Sporting a bizarre androgynous look and a dark, slinky sound marked by sheets of guitar noise and Bono-like vocals pock-marked with shrieks and yelps, Gene Loves Jezebel was quickly lumped in with the emerging Goth scene - although that was not a completely accurate classification.  Two years later, Immigrant revealed a tougher, louder version of their sound, perhaps best realized on a non-album 12-inch single "Desire," which was their first big breakthrough and remains one of their best-loved songs.

"Desire" was so successful that it was added to the following year's release, Discover. This was their first major-label American release, and it sported a second single, "Heartache," that saw the band drifting ever-closer to the same sort of over-the-top Glam-Rock redux that The Cult had proven to be so commercially viable at the time.  They fully realized that transformation on House Of Dolls, their most mainstream-sounding record to date - and the beginning of the end for the Aston brothers.  Michael left the band, feeling his artistic vision was being compromised by brother Jay's attempts to commercialize the band.

Without Michael, Jay continued the band and released Kiss Of Life, which contained their highest-charting single yet, "Jealous."  Heavenly Bodies stayed the course the following year, but after their record label collapsed, Gene Loves Jezebel disintegrated.  Michael and Jay each pursued separate solo careers before attempting a reconciliation and reunion in the late 1990s.  They recorded a new album, VII, and toured, but were soon at each other's throats over which musicians to use (they each wanted to use the musicians they had been working with on their solo projects) and how to split the profits.  Jay had VII re-issued in the UK with Michael's songs removed, and the brothers were once again at odds.

Since then, each has led a band of musicians on tour and in the recording studio under the Gene Loves Jezebel moniker, which has resulted in legal proceedings between the brothers and annoyance and confusion among fans.  As things settled out, the brother each wound up with a viable claim to the rights to the name Gene Loves Jezebel: Michael owns the name here in the US, while Jay has the UK rights to the name.  So, here in the US, "Gene Loves Jezebel" refers to Michael's band, while Jay's is known as "Jay Aston's Gene Loves Jezebel;" in the UK the situation is reversed.  Got it?

Despite the bickering, Gene Loves Jezebel made some decent music, and I thank James for this request.  Enjoy the clips for two of their best, "Desire" and "Jealous":

New Wave for the New Week #96 BONUS ENTRY! BY REQUEST!

[All throughout the month of November, all NW4NW entries will be based on requests made by you, dear readers. Because of the amount of requests coming in, there will often be more than one entry per week during this month - I recommend signing up for email alerts on the left-hand side of the screen so that you don't miss any of the fun! If you wish to make a request, you may do so either in the comments section of this post, on Twitter, or on the Facebook Fanpage. Don't be shy - tell me what band you want to see featured!]

If you do not already read Strange Reaction regularly, you need to start.  It is one of the best Punk Rock blogs going.  Scott and Mike E. know their stuff and regularly provide blistering podcasts, spot on record reviews, and stories of living the Life both back in the day and as older, wiser (?) adults. Recommended!  I was pleased, then, to see Scott from Strange Reaction throw his two cents in on All Request Month, and more than pleased when among his suggestions was Howard Devoto's second band, Magazine.

Devoto, who has been described as "Brian Eno on steroids," was the original lead singer for The Buzzcocks.  He left that band after recording their debut EP Spiral Scratch, hoping to push the envelope a little further musically than the pop-punk structure of The Buzzcocks would allow.  Recruiting John McGeoch, Barry Adamson and Dave Formula on guitar, bass and keyboards respectively, and with Martin Jackson momentarily manning the drumset (he'd soon be replaced by John Doyle), Magazine debuted in 1978 with the stunning "Shot By Both Sides."  a full album, Real Life, followed quickly on the heels of that single, and is an important artifact of the early Post-Punk sound.

Magazine's sound was both more melodic and more avant-garde than many of their contemporaries.  The music was heavily layered and claustrophobic, which perfectly supported Devoto's mildly paranoid and often melancholy lyrics.  At times being obtuse to the point of self-parody, Devoto's songs were nonetheless memorable, and Real Life reached the Top 30 on the UK album charts.

Their sophomore effort, Secondhand Daylight, saw the traditional guitar-and-bass sound being downplayed in favor of more keyboard-based material.  The material here is not entirely unlike early Public Image Ltd., although perhaps a bit more literate.  Not bad, but they still sounded like they were searching for their true voice - a voice they found with 1980's The Correct Use Of Soap.  With goodies like "Model Worker," "A Song From Under The Floorboards," and the contemporary non-album single "The Light Pours Out Of Me" (which was appended in the CD reissue), this was Magazine's masterpiece, as well as their best-selling record.

One more album would appear the following year, but Devoto decided to dissolve the band upon the release of Magic, Murder And The Weather.  The album showed a band that certainly was not running out of material (the single "About The Weather" ranks among the band's best work), but apparently Devoto didn't want to wait until the tank was empty to stop the car.  Two years later, in 1983, Devoto released Jerky Versions Of The Dream, a solo album that featured an outstanding single, "The Rainy Season," and then dropped out of the music world altogether to focus on his love of photography.

Devoto reunited the original line-up of Magazine in 2009 for a series of UK concerts, and rumor has it that there may just be some new material to come...

I thank Scott for his request, and offer two clips to fill it: First, Magazine debuting "Shot By Both Sides" on British TV in 1978, and then Devoto's solo clip for "The Rainy Season." Enjoy!

New Wave for the New Week #95 BONUS ENTRY! BY REQUEST!

[All throughout the month of November, all NW4NW entries will be based on requests made by you, dear readers. Because of the amount of requests coming in, there will often be more than one entry per week during this month - I recommend signing up for email alerts on the left-hand side of the screen so that you don't miss any of the fun! If you wish to make a request, you may do so either in the comments section of this post, on Twitter, or on the Facebook Fanpage. Don't be shy - tell me what band you want to see featured!]

Steve O'Donnell, local patent attorney and one of the funniest folks you can follow on Twitter, was another requester who presented me with yet another "how do I pick one" list of excellent band suggestions for his request. (By the way, folks, I'm keeping a list of all the bands everyone is asking for and will be using that list to choose NW4NW entries throughout 2011, so you will eventually get to read about them all!)  One did jump out at me, though, as a band I can't believe I haven't gotten to on my own yet.

"When I finally got to see them live, I was transformed into a hysterical nine-year-old girl at a Beatles concert." - Kurt Cobain

The band Cobain got all giddy about, the band he along with several other alternative music icons of the '90s helped to bring to the attention of the masses, was a trio of girls from Osaka, Japan, who wanted to play music like The Ramones, The Buzzcocks and The Beatles.  With adorably amateurish enthusiasm and the barest of grasps of the English language, the Yamano sisters (Naoko and Atusko) and Michie Nakatani came together in 1981 to form a self-described "oo-oo-ultra-eccentric-super-cult-punk-pop-band" called Shonen Knife, and they have been making a truly joyful noise ever since.

Trying to navigate through Shonen Knife's extensive discography is a nearly impossible task.  Their earliest records, released only in Japan, would often appear in various formats (single disc, double disc, cassette) with slightly varying track lists, songs from two or three earlier albums would be combined with new material to create a new album, and many songs only ever appeared on compilation albums or singles. But the legend of their occasionally off-rhythm playing and carefree consumer-culture based lyrics (song titles like "I Wanna Eat Choco Bars," "Tortoise Brand Pot Scrubber Theme (1 & 2)," "Neon Zebra" and "Fruit Loop Dreams" are supported by completely and utterly literal lyrics about the subject matter described) brought them to the attention of several other artists, particularly when the highly-regarded Sub-Pop label licensed several tracks for release on compilations and as part of their monthly mail-order-only Singles Club series. 

They made their first trip to America in in 1987, playing in Los Angeles at the behest of Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore and the McDonald Brothers of Redd Kross. Shonen Knife were so pleased with the hospitality that they were shown by their fellow musicians that they began writing songs about them as a way of showing their gratitude.  "Redd Kross," "White Flag," and even "Blue Oyster Cult" were celebrated in song, and the band's Japanese recordings began appearing here as import-only special orders in appropriately cool record shops.

In 1989, a group of nearly two dozen alternative acts got together to introduce Shonen Knife's music to a wider Western audience via the tribute album Every Band Has A Shonen Knife Who Loves Them.  Keeping the discographical waters muddied, this album was issued in both one-record and two-record versions, as well as CD and cassettes versions, no two of which have exactly the same tracklist.  Two years later, Kurt Cobain invited Shonen Knife to open for Nirvana on their UK tour, where legendary and influential British DJ John Peel had them on his radio show and began spinning their records regularly, adding to their growing fanbase.

Capitol Records released Let's Knife in 1992. This would be Shonen Knife's first American release, containing re-recorded English versions of some of their Japanese-only songs ("Twist Barbie," "Burning Farm," "Antonio Baka Guy") and some like-minded new material ("Riding On The Rocket," "Cycling Is Fun").  Despite getting high-gloss major-label production for the first time, Shonen Knife's innocent, bubbly, infectious personality was not dampened in the least.  Rock Animals followed a year later with more sugary delights ("Catnip Dream," "Tomato Head")

Now firmly entrenched among the alternative music elite, Shonen Knife kept right on singing and touring and recording through the 1990's.  As the decade drew to a close, Michie left the band; in 2006, Atsuko married and retired from the music world.  Eventually replaced by Etsuko Nakanishi and Ritsuko Taneda, respectively, and with Naoko leading the way, the Knife continued into the new century, most recently releasing Super Group in 2009.

As the Boston Globe once wrote, "Theoretically, any band that writes songs with lyrics such as "Banana chips for you!/Banana chips for me!/In the afternoon, banana chips and tea" should have a life span no longer than that of a grasshopper." Yet Shonen Knife show no signs of stopping after nearly three decades!  Why?  Well, I think partially because it's just damn near impossible not to smile when you hear them.  As proof, here are the video clips for "Redd Kross," "Riding On The Rocket," and last year's "Super Group." Great request, Steve - thank you!




Watch shonen knife - riding on the rocket in Music  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

New Wave for the New Week #94 BONUS ENTRY! BY REQUEST!

[All throughout the month of November, all NW4NW entries will be based on requests made by you, dear readers. Because of the amount of requests coming in, there will often be more than one entry per week during this month - I recommend signing up for email alerts on the left-hand side of the screen so that you don't miss any of the fun! If you wish to make a request, you may do so either in the comments section of this post, on Twitter, or on the Facebook Fanpage. Don't be shy - tell me what band you want to see featured!]

One of the more underrated bands of the "MTV Era" was found among those listed by my friend and high school classmate Tim Ellis when he submitted his request.  Tim, by the way, makes some pretty nifty music himself along with his wife.  You can check out their guitar-and-drums White Stripes-ish glorious noise at their YouTube page - you'll be glad you did.

There was quite an interesting group of bands playing in and around San Francisco in the early 1980's.  In the midst of a futuristic electronic synthpop boom, Frisco bands like Romeo Void, Wire Train and Red Rockers were going semi-retro, sticking with the classic guitar/bass/drum/vocal recipe and filtering old folk-rock through the Punk/New Wave sieve.  One of the strongest of these bands was Translator.

Signed to Frisco-based indy label 415 Records, Translator took their initial bow in 1982 with an outstanding album filled with ringing guitars, literate lyrics, and a somewhat off-kilter atmosphere, Heartbeats And Triggers.  MTV jumped on the video for the first single from the LP, "Everywhere That I'm Not," and moved it quickly into high rotation.  The song's nagging, shuffling melody proved irresistible, and the chorus sent many folks scrambling to open their atlases and locate Nova Scotia.  Among an album full of shimmering jewels, it shone most brightly (although "Necessary Spinning" comes darn close to equaling it).

The following year, Translator delivered No Time Like Now. Once again, it was an album that mainly supported one wonderful single.  This time, it was the sunny "Un-Alone" in the role of lead single.  A bit more awkward lyrically than "Everywhere," "Un-Alone" still has the strength to stand among the band's best tracks.

The self-titled third album appeared in 1985, and by now the Translator recipe was pretty well entrenched: lots of pretty, airy, but basically interchangeable songs supporting one or two crown jewels; in this case, the incredible "Gravity" led the pack, with "O Lazarus" as this record's "Necessary Spinning" right behind it.

After three very good but very similar albums in three years, the band made an ill-advised move by messing with a working formula.  1986's Evening Of The Harvest takes a very talented group and reduces them to the level of B-grade bar band.  Avoid.

For those who are not familiar, a handy best-of, Everywhere That We Were, makes a fine jumping-in point.  It collects all of songs mentioned here and a fairly representative sampling of album tracks.  Still, Translator will be forever best remembered for that first outstanding single, which made picking the clip for "Everywhere That I'm Not" a no-brainer for this entry.  My great thanks to Tim Ellis for this fine request!

Poly Styrene's Dreaming of a Black Christmas

Cover of Poly StyreneHoly frickin' frijoles, look who's back!

Poly Styrene, former lead singer for Punk legends X-Ray Spex, is apparently finishing up a new solo album, Generation Indigo, for release next year - her first since 2004 - and the good folks over at  RCRD•LBL are whetting our appetites with an early Christmas present:  a free download of Ms. Styrene's new holiday tune, the reggae-infused "Black Christmas."

The track will not be on the new LP, so go grab it now and keep it high in the mix of holiday tunes around your house this year, and keep your eyes peeled for Generation Indigo...

New Wave for the New Week #93 BONUS ENTRY! BY REQUEST!

[All throughout the month of November, all NW4NW entries will be based on requests made by you, dear readers. Because of the amount of requests coming in, there will often be more than one entry per week during this month - I recommend signing up for email alerts on the left-hand side of the screen so that you don't miss any of the fun! If you wish to make a request, you may do so either in the comments section of this post, on Twitter, or on the Facebook Fanpage. Don't be shy - tell me what band you want to see featured!]

Image via Wikipedia

If someone asked you to name the two or three most important and influential individuals in Punk Rock, what names would spring immediately to your mind?  Likely, the names Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious would be quickly mentioned; certainly people like Henry Rollins and Jello Biafra would be on the short list as well.  It always surprises me how far down on most peoples' lists you must go before you reach a name that I would argue belongs near the top of anyone's list of influential Punks: Ian MacKaye.  I was very pleased, then, when Tom R. submitted his NW4NW request and first on the list was Minor Threat.

Through Minor Threat, MacKaye and bandmates Jeff Nelson, Brian Baker and Lyle Preslar (later replaced by Steve Hansgen) did more to create and codify the sound that would become known as Hardcore than almost any other band working in the early days of the genre.  Through his self-run Dischord label, MacKaye took the DIY ethic of record release and distribution to higher levels.  Through his lyrics, MacKaye almost single-handedly (if unintentionally) spawned the no-drink no-drugs Straight Edge Hardcore subculture. Nearing 30 years since their break-up after only three years of active existence, Minor Threat remains one of the most historically significant and continually referenced bands of its time and genre.

Formed after MacKaye and Nelson left The Teen Idles, Minor Threat debuted in late 1980 by opening for fellow Washington, DC punks Bad Brains.  Bolstered by a high-energy, full throttle musical blast, MacKaye delivered blunt yet intelligent lyrics about the lives he and his friends were living at the time.  Minor Threat's songs were positive and motivational, urging the kids who were their audience to go DO something with their lives and not fall into the haze of violence and self-destruction that even today seems an all-too-common destination for disenfranchised youth.

In 1981, the band released two 7-inch EPs, Minor Threat and In My Eyes (later reissued together as a full 12-inch LP). Trouser Press describes the contents of those two records as well as I or anyone else could:

"The twelve selections effectively define [DC's] hardcore sound, with a powerhouse adrenalized rush and Ian MacKaye's explosive and articulate vocals. "Filler," "I Don't Wanna Hear It" and "Minor Threat" are some of the classics of the genre; if you haven't heard them, you have never — repeat, never — heard Hardcore. [Two] of the most intense, ungodly-force-of-technology records ever launched."

Minor Threat's lone album, 1983's Out Of Step, slows the tempest by about a half-step (without losing any of the intensity).  The title cut is a re-recording of a track from the In My Eyes EP, and begins to show MacKaye's own disillusionment with the scene he was integral in helping create, particular with regard to the Straight Edge movement.  In 2009, while speaking at Franklin and Marshall College here in Lancaster, PA, MacKaye explained that he never intended his lyrics about abstaining from alcohol, drugs and sex to be a manifesto for anyone; he was simply singing about his own experience.  Unfortunately, a certain subset of those who came to identify themselves as Straight Edge became militant and belligerent, infamously knocking beers out of people's hands and threatening those who did not conform to the abstinent lifestyle.  MacKaye's disappointment in his words being used to justify such action was already clear on this record: this version of "Out Of Step" includes a spoken bridge in which MacKaye declares, "This is not a set of rules!"

Minor Threat would break-up in 1983, but MacKaye continued to be a major force in the independent music scene, especially in DC.  After participating in a number of one-off projects or sideline collaborations like Egg Hunt (with former bandmate Nelson) and Pailhead (with Ministry frontman Al Jourgensen), MacKaye formed another high-profile and highly revered band, Fugazi.  All of Minor Threat's recorded output was collected on one essential disc, Complete Discography. 

Here are two Minor Threat clips for your enjoyment. The first is an audio-only clip of "In My Eyes," followed by a collage of live footage as the bedding for the classic "Out Of Step." My thanks to Tom R. for this excellent request!