Elephant Gym - Underwater

Elephant Gym - Underwater


Elephant Gym is a bass driven, Math-Rock band from Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Formed in 2012. The Band is composed of Tif on bass, Tell on guitar and Chia-Chin on drums. The music of Elephant Gym is known for clear and memorable bass line, emotional guitar riffs and melodic drumming. Most songs are instrumental. In 2013, Elephant Gym has started to invite singers to compose with them.
Tell and Tif are sibling. In their childhood, their mother had taught them classical music until their adolescence. Later on, they had a big crush on rock music, especially post – rock and math -rock. Tell met Tu in high school music club. After realizing they all like the same music genre, they decided to form a rock band.

On Underwater, Elephant Gym's latest release and second full-length, there was no single composer overseeing the record. To the end of unlocking new sounds for themselves, each member took turns leading production and compositional roles during the creation of the album. The result is an expansive cohesion of diverse songs which flow in and out of one another like water. Vocal cameos by international collaborators provide another compelling dimension to the record, emboldening a group usually known for their instrumental compositions.
The band explains that "'Underwater' is an idea about a kind of private, mysterious space." It's a place where one may go to ponder or concentrate, to clear one's head, or to just blow off some steam in solitude. So, too, is Underwater fundamentally about immersion: immersion in the chaos of feeling, living in the throes of being human-sized in the infinite expanse of existence. Elephant Gym deftly weaves this universal concept into their signature sound without ever pulling you out of your personal space, leaving you to yourself underwater.
released November 14, 2018

Album Producer: Elephant Gym
Executive Producer: J-Jyun Ciou
Mastering: Brian Elgin [Sentient Sound Labs]

Album Design [InFormat Design Curating]
Art director: Pang Wang
Designer: Tzou Yun-Da

Elephant Gym is
Guitar: Tell Chang
Bass: KT Chang
Drums: Chia-Chin Tu
https://www.facebook.com/elephantgym/
https://elephant-gym.bandcamp.com/

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Prune Deer - Chemistry

Prune Deer - Chemistry

Post and math rock command a formidable following in HK, and this cerebral instrumental four-piece, with their blend of complex and methodical rock, are one of the city’s finest examples. They’ve been active in the scene for years but it’s only recently that they’ve hit their stride. less
https://www.prunedeer.com/

Prune Deer 話梅鹿 - By Air 空郵 ft. Ashley Tsang, LK-072 (Official Music Video)

Shot by xbeekel.art, LK-072, Tsang Ming Sum
Edited by NatureHin
Styled by LK-072

Written by NatureHin
Arranged by Prune Deer
Recorded by NatureHin and Helios
Mixed by NatureHin
Mastering by Matthew Sim

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Fym Summer - Mirage

Fym Summer - Mirage

Some of the songs I wrote and recorded back in early 2010s and some recently nearing 2020 now. I realize some music style remains the same, especially one that explores fictional characters and abstract, ethereal what-if situations. This mini compilation encapsulates my works that are sort of in this category.
released April 14, 2019

Singer-songwriter known for her intimate vocals and rueful lyrics. Performed internationally at SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas, Canadian Music Week in Toronto, Ontario, NOISE Singapore by National Arts Council, UN Women #16daysofactivism and Royal Academy of Music in London, United Kingdom and more.
https://iamfymsummer.bandcamp.com/

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The Molice - SIGNS

The Molice - SIGNS

This is their 6th album, recording at GCR studio in Buffalo,NY.
Produced by Robby Takac (Goo Goo Dools).

Buy album,you can get all tracks.
1. Shooter
2. side P
3. Magic
4. Dry City
5. Sparkling of Light
6. Round Round Round

Arranged by MOLICE
Produce by Robby Takac and MOLICE
All songs written by Rinko
All Lyrics written by Rinko
released December 1, 2017
Songs: Rinko
Lyric : Rinko

Photo: https://www.facebook.com/molice.music

THE MOLICE "Round Round Round"


THE MOLICE - SPARKLING OF LIGHT


THE MOLICE “MAGIC”


THE MOLICE "side P"


The Molice hammered out their own sound while playing in Tokyo’s numerous rock venues and on tour in North America, Europe and Asia. This East/West hybrid sound has a wide appeal by being both catchy and edgy, incorporating rock n’ roll, classical, dance, shoegaze, alternative, post -punk, post-hardcore elements.

https://molice.bandcamp.com/merch
https://themolice.com/
https://www.facebook.com/molice.music
https://twitter.com/Molice_News

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Jay Som - Anak Ko

Jay Som - Anak Ko

Melina Duterte is a master of voice: Hers are dream pop songs that hint at a universe of her own creation. Recording as Jay Som since 2015, Duterte’s world of shy, swirling intimacies always contains a disarming ease, a sky-bent sparkle and a grounding indie-rock humility. In an era of burnout, the title track of her 2017 breakout, Everybody Works, remains a balm and an anthem.

Duterte’s life became a whirlwind in the wake of Everybody Works. After spending her teen years and early 20s exploring an eclectic array of musical styles—studying jazz trumpet as a child, carrying on her Filipino family tradition of spirited karaoke, and quietly recording indie-pop songs in her bedroom alone—that accomplished album found her playing festivals around the world, sharing stages with the likes of Paramore, Death Cab for Cutie, and Mitski.

In November of 2017, seeking a new environment, Duterte left her home of the Bay Area for Los Angeles. There, she demoed new songs, while also embracing opportunities to do session work and produce, engineer, and mix for other artists (like Sasami, Chastity Belt). Reckoning with the relative instability of musicianhood, Duterte turned inward, tuning ever deeper into her own emotions and desires as a way of staying centered through huge changes. She found a community; she fell in love. And for an artist whose career began after releasing her earliest collection of demos—2015's hazy but exquisitely crafted Turn Into—in a fit of drunken confidence on Thanksgiving night, she finally quit drinking for good. “I feel like a completely different person,” she reflects. Positivity was a way forward.

The striking clarity of her new music reflects that shift. After months of poring over pools of demos, Duterte, now 25, essentially started over. She wrote most of her brilliant new album, Anak Ko—pronounced Anuhk-Ko—in a burst during a self-imposed week-long solo retreat to Joshua Tree. As in the past, Duterte recorded at home (in some songs, you can hear the washer/dryer near her bedroom) and remained the sole producer, engineer, and mixer. But for the first time, she recruited friends—including Vagabon’s Laetitia Tamko, Chastity Belt’s Annie Truscott, Justus Proffitt, Boy Scouts’ Taylor Vick, as well as bandmates Zachary Elasser, Oliver Pinnell and Dylan Allard—to contribute additional vocals, drums, guitars, strings, and pedal steel. Honing in on simplicity and groove, refining her skills as a producer, Duterte cracked her sound open subtly, highlighting its best parts: She’s bloomed.

Inspired by the lush, poppy sounds of 80s bands such as Prefab Sprout, the Cure, and Cocteau Twins—as well as the ecstatic guitarwork of contemporary Vancouver band Weed—Anak Ko sounds dazzlingly tactile, and firmly present. The result is a refreshingly precise sound. On the subtly explosive “Superbike,” Duterte aimed for the genius combination of “Cocteau Twins and Alanis Morissette”—“letting loose,” she says, over swirling shoegaze. “Night Time Drive” is a restless road song, but one with a sense of contentedness and composure, which “basically encapsulated my entire life for the past two years,” she says—always moving, but “accepting it, being a little stronger from it.” (She sings, memorably, of “shoplifting at the Whole Foods.”) Duterte focused more on bass this time: “I just wanted to make a more groovy record,” she notes.

The slow-burning highlight “Tenderness” begins minimally, like a slightly muffled phone call, before flowering into a bright, jazzy earworm. Duterte calls it “a feel-good, funky, kind of sexy song” in part about “the curse of social media” and how it complicates relationships. “That’s definitely about scrolling on your phone and seeing a person and it just haunts you, you can’t escape it,” Duterte says. “I have a weird relationship to social media and how people perceive me—as this person that has a platform, as a solo artist, and this marginalized person. That was really getting to me. I wanted to express those emotions, but I felt stifled. I feel like a lot of the themes of the songs stemmed from bottled up emotions, frustration with yourself, and acceptance.”

The title, Anak Ko, means “my child" in Tagalog, one of the native dialects in the Philippines. It was inspired by an unassuming text message from Duterte’s mother, who has always addressed her as such: Hi anak ko, I love you anak ko. “It’s an endearing thing to say, it feels comfortable,” Duterte reflects, likening the process of creating and releasing an album, too, to “birthing a child.” That sense of care charges Anak Ko, as does another concept Duterte has found herself circling back to: the importance of patience and kindness.

“In order to change, you’ve got to make so many mistakes,” Duterte says, reflecting on her recent growth as an artist with a zen-like calm. “What’s helped me is forcing myself to be even more peaceful and kind with myself and others. You can get so caught up in attention, and the monetary value of being a musician, that you can forget to be humble. You can learn more from humility than the flashy stuff. I want kindness in my life. Kindness is the most important thing for this job, and empathy.”
releases August 23, 2019

https://www.jaysommusic.com/

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Lisa Caruso - Borrow My Body

Lisa Caruso - Borrow My Body

Disrobed and romantic, ‘Borrow my Body’ is layered with warm synthesised piano and shimmering guitars under an honest raw vocal. Kept in time with a lone ride cymbal, peaks and troughs are led by fearless baritone guitar and measured amplifier feedback, joined later by a triumphant tom drum rhythm.

There’s an unlikeness to Sydney Artist Lisa Caruso that left a mark on avid listeners after the success of her first releases. With songs continuously being described as if taken from a David Lynch Soundtrack, this charming songstress is back releasing tracks that will be coming off her long awaited debut album.

Teaming up with guitarist Benjamin Fletcher (Sarah Blasko, Marina and the Diamonds) on production in both the UK and in OZ has actualised Lisa’s desire to create music that is un-fearfully pronounced. With an utterly unique vocal, Lisa delivers songs with robust conviction, bleeding an honesty only she can tell. Impressing audiences with brooding track ‘Shake Baby Shake’ in November last year, Lisa gained National radio play once again, also landing a sync on a popular American NBN series.
Now accelerating at full speed with single number two, Lisa reveals a batty demeanour in ‘A Holiday’. Keeping a 90s garage attitude with elements of surf and 60s flair, expect to hear fuzzed out guitars, an unrelenting boisterous drum part, and layered vocals that entertain very forthright lyrics. 2019 is going to be Lisa Caruso’s biggest year yet. Expect to be lured in, and spat out asking for more.
http://lisacaruso.squarespace.com/

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Kelsey Waldon - White Noise​/​White Lines

Kelsey Waldon - White Noise​/​White Lines

releases October 4, 2019

Produced by Dan Knobler & Kelsey Waldon
Recorded by Dan Knobler at Goosehead Palace in Nashville, TN
Mixed by Justin Francis
Mastered by Randy LeRoy
Kelsey Waldon - vocals and acoustic guitar
Mike Khalil - electric guitar, b-bender, and additional acoustic guitar
Alec Newnam – bass guitar
Nate Felty – drums, percussion
Brett Resnick - pedal steel guitar

with:
Vickie Vaughn - harmony vocals
Dan Knobler - additional acoustic guitars
10 String Symphony: Rachel Baiman & Christian Sedelmyer - twin
fiddles on "Black Patch"
Jake Sherman - Wurlitzer on "Sunday's Children"
Ace Greenwood and Jesse Lindsey, courtesy of the Chickasaw
Nation of Ada, Oklahoma, on “White Noise, White Lines”.

All songs written by Kelsey Waldon, except for “My Epitaph” written by Ola Belle Reed.

Over the past seven years, Kelsey Waldon’s life has changed drastically. Since moving to Nashville, she’s found her place in a lush, supportive, and versatile artist community. She’s released two albums, played with some of music’s biggest names, and toured nationally. She made her debut performance on the Grand Ole Opry at the hallowed Ryman Auditorium, and she’s already been bestowed with one of Nashville’s highest honors: playing the historic Station Inn, the go-to spot of the 70’s, where intimate, post-Opry jam sessions were hosted by legends like Jimmy Martin, Bobby Osborne, and Bill Monroe. While most musicians work a lifetime to achieve that status of success, Kelsey Waldon’s talent has earned her way to the top in a matter of years. And even though she traded her small town for the city, she’s making moves in country.

Straddling the junction of the Ohio River and the Mississippi, Waldon was born in Ballard County, Kentucky, and raised in one the county’s even smaller, unincorporated communities, lovingly named Monkey’s Eyebrow. The destination has been spotlighted by NPR and Roadside America, but the Western Kentucky town is about as “rural America” as it gets. Waldon’s family roots in the Bluegrass State date back over ten generations, from tobacco farmers to cattle raisers, and a general cast of real strong-spirited characters. “Farming and planting tobacco were some of the first jobs I had growing up,” she says; but dating back even farther, to some of her very first memories, is her relationship with music. Inspired by ‘a melting pot of influences’, Waldon took notes from a wide variety, spanning from legends like Merle Haggard and Mavis Staples, to bluegrass luminaries Ralph Stanley and Ricky Skaggs, and songwriting greats John Prine, Bob Dylan, and Townes Van Zandt. When she picked up the guitar at 13, she never looked back. “I finally felt like I was a part of something when I started playing and writing music. It was something that finally made everything make sense, and it was a very essential and healthy thing for me during my younger years, and still is.”
While Waldon faced a multitude of obstacles during adolescence, music always remained a constant source of stability in her life — and out of that adversity, she crafted a distinct sound that meets at the juncture of classic country, bluegrass, soul, R&B, and rock and roll. “I wasn’t one of those kids that applied for college or probably even took it very seriously upon graduating high school. I wanted to do things my own way, so I didn’t go to college and I moved to Nashville, on a whim really,” she says. Despite her initial feelings, Waldon ended up at Belmont University, studying Songwriting and Music Business, and became the first person in her family to graduate college. While working toward her degree, she played gigs at ‘any bar that would let her in the door and on the stage’ and worked 45+ hour work weeks at a minimum wage job. After graduating, Waldon continued playing local dive bars and venues, including one of Nashville’s most famous honky-tonks, The Palace, where she also worked as a bartender.

Waldon’s traction skyrocketed with the release of her debut LP The Goldmine, which The Fader dubbed as “the brightest country debut of 2014”. Relix claimed it was “dripping with the most sought-after currency of authenticity.” The album was named one of Rolling Stone’s “10 New Artists You Need To Know: Summer 2014,” with journalist Marissa Moss calling Waldon, “Tammy Wynette on a trip to Whiskeytown, as unafraid of heavy twang and spitfire pedal steel as coffeehouse confessionals.”

By the time I’ve Got A Way hit in 2016, she had established herself as one of Nashville’s founders of the female-pioneered twang revival — a movement that is quickly redefining the modern country music narrative. Her sophomore album ranked on two of NPR’s most-acclaimed lists of the year; Fresh Air host Ken Tucker’s “Top 10 Favorite Albums of 2016” alongside Beyonce, Miranda Lambert, and Stax legend William Bell. The album’s shining single, “All By Myself” was named on their list of “Top 100 Songs of 2016.” The video for the single, filmed in her hometown of Monkey’s Eyebrow, was featured on Rolling Stone Country and Billboard. One of the most notable supporters of I’ve Got A Way was Ann Powers, who admired the record’s “delightfully direct language and delivery enhancing vivid musical settings that demonstrate her vast understanding of the traditions she mines.” Powers went on to praise Waldon’s unique talent in NPR's First Listen, saying, “It’s the immediacy of her storytelling, utterly unsentimental yet deeply heartfelt, that makes Kelsey Waldon a queen of the cool rejoinder and an all-around contender.”

Since the release of I’ve Got A Way, she’s been busy touring the country — sometimes solo, but more often than not, with a tight-knit band of extremely talented musicians. But despite the fame and notoriety she’s seen in the past three years, Waldon remains humbled by her success. “I’ve spent a huge majority of my life studying my favorite records, my favorite songs, and my most-favorite singers,” she says, adding, “You never stop learning or gaining from it. I’m still doing it all the time… all the while still writing my own story and hopefully becoming an entity in my own right.” If one thing is set in stone with Kelsey Waldon, it’s that she does have a way — and it’s straight up from here.
https://www.kelseywaldon.com/

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The Hormones - The Edge

The Hormones - The Edge

The Hormones are four young women from Chengdu in China who play highly groovy pop punk and have garnered more than a few positive reviews on their home turf. In May, they surprised the audience when they played up a storm at the WISE Conference in Beijing. Multi-voiced vocals, clever guitar accents, and synth melodies come together in a sound that's absolutely impossible to categorize—and doesn't need any genre names anyway.

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Reeperbahn Festival 2019

Reeperbahn Festival 2019
From 18 – 21 September 2019, the Reeperbahn Festival will present more than 1000 events spanning a range of genres in locations around Hamburg’s Reeperbahn. Since its debut in 2006, the Reeperbahn Festival has grown to become one of the most important meeting places for the music industry worldwide, and, as Europe's largest club festival, it boasts a broad spectrum of emerging and more established artists.

Tickets: https://www.reeperbahnfestival.com/en/tickets

https://www.reeperbahnfestival.com/en/frontpage

Say Sue Me at the Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg
https://www.reeperbahnfestival.com/en/festival/say-sue-me

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THE WAiiT - Night Out

THE WAiiT - Night Out


THE WAiiT is a Taiwan neo psychedelic rock band founded by Frey and Lili in 2016. The group began as a home recording project. Frey writes, records, produces the music. Lili provides insight and inspiration, artwork and makes music videos. As a touring act, the project consists of Frey (guitar, vocals), Lili (bass, vocals), Sherry (drums).

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Magic Island - Warm Heaven

Magic Island - Warm Heaven

Having been described as 'honest pop,' Magic Island's soundscape is permeated by haunting and unforgettable flavours. The artist weaves together unembellished compositions with tangles and twists of her signature weirdness. Starting with short vocal lines and looping melodies on her keyboard, Magic Island builds them up and out, pulling freely from R&B, experimental pop, and soulful sounds.

Artwork by Moritz Freudenberg

newest EP by Magic Island (Berlin)
credits
released July 12, 2019

1. Warm Heaven
Produced by Emma Czerny (Magic Island)
Live Drums by Ben Anderson
Edrums by Emma Czerny (Magic Island)

2. No Pain
Produced by Emma Czerny (Magic Island)
Feat. SUNY on keys

3. High Note
Co-written & produced by The Zenmenn
Co-written & produced by Emma Czerny (Magic Island)
Lyrics & Vocals by Emma Czerny (Magic Island)

4. Turn Away
Co-written & produced by Princess Century
Co-written & produced by Emma Czerny (Magic Island)
Lyrics & Vocals by Emma Czerny (Magic Island)

5. Gone
Produced and performed by Emma Czerny (Magic Island)

Mixed by Sami Toroi
Mastered by Jordan Juras

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Rainbow Chan - Pillar

Rainbow Chan - Pillar

Pillar out now - hyperurl.co/pillarLP
Pre-order vinyl - rainbowchan.bandcamp.com

All songs written, performed and produced by Rainbow Chan
Verse on 'Love Isn’t Easy' by MOLDY
Mixed by Matthew Hadley
Mastered by Becki Whitton
Additional vocal recording on tracks 5, 6, 9, 10 by David Trumpmanis
Voice memo of Lull performed by Rainbow, mum Chui Ping, and aunty Choi Lin, recorded in Lung Yeuk Tau, Hong Kong, 2018

Artwork
Photography by Hyun Lee
Styling by Al Joel
Hair and makeup by Maggie Wu
Design by Craig Stubbs-Race

Rainbow Chan is a vocalist, producer and multi-disciplinary artist who has built a reputation as one of the most innovative musicians in Australia. Driven by a DIY spirit, Chan melds catchy melodies and off-kilter beats made up of field-recordings and found sounds. Both heartbreaking and tender at once, her idiosyncratic brand of pop holds a mirror up to diasporic experiences, and also deeply personal tales of love and loss.

Chan’s debut record "Spacings" (Silo Arts & Records, 2016) was feature album on community radio stations nationwide and nominated for FBi SMAC Record of the Year, and AIR Best Dance/Electronica Album. Rainbow was FBi's most played artist in 2016, and her single "Nest" was also the most played song. Lifted from the EP "Fabrica" (Healthy Tapes, 2017), her single "Let Me" won the FBi SMAC Award for Best Song.

Chan has performed at renowned venues and festivals internationally including Sydney Opera House, Vivid, MONA FOMA, Gallery of Modern Art, Melbourne Music Week, Iceland Airwaves, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, and Tai Kwun (Hong Kong). Additionally, her musical installations have been exhibited with Firstdraft Gallery, Liquid Architecture, 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art and I-Project Space, Beijing.

Chan is a passionate mentor and has worked with MusicNSW, I.C.E Parramatta, Hack Sounds, Club Weld and Bunga Barrabugu programs at Sydney Conservatorium where she teaches in Bachelor of Contemporary Music.

With a flair for diverse and nuanced songwriting, Chan is signed to Gaga Music Publishing and has produced soundtracks for ABC web documentary, "The Glass Bedroom" (2017) and a live score for Art Gallery of NSW’s “Starburst”: Chinese Film Season (2018).

Picked by The Guardian for “Best Australian New Music” last month, Rainbow Chan released her sophomore album “Pillar” in June and is heading on a national tour throughout August.
https://www.chunyinrainbowchan.com/

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Green!Eyes - The Dragon EP

Green!Eyes - The Dragon EP

picture by Eric Chung

Green!Eyes is a Taiwan indie band that’s been active roughly 10 years. The band was, is, and probably will never be big due to the fact that these cool dudes hate commercial marketing and purposely avoid public attention. Interestingly, all of Green!Eyes songs are composed in English, which are much more affluential from an international perspective. After a couple of listenings, it is obvious that the band’s style is heavily influenced by indie rock, soft-rock, jazz, country/folk and definitely lo-fi with their recording model. I personally found Green!Eyes have a very mature performing style in various live recordings. Their live songs are naturally mesmerizing: sophisticated guitar solos along with clever drumming encompass the vital vibe that differentiates the classic from the conventional, and Yu-Chen’s very distinct singing/hairstyle might be another factor that makes Green!Eyes stand out from norm.
Check them out if you are a hard-core rock fan who wants to start exploring indie and folk rock. This perfect interface band will tame your ears with funky drums and sweet sweet semi-jazz guitar, but just enough to keep your rock soul still intrigued by squeaky solos and clean bass-lines.

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TsuShiMaMiRe - MAMIRE MANIA 20

TsuShiMaMiRe - MAMIRE MANIA 20


TsuShiMaMiRe - Absolutely OK


TsuShiMaMiRe will celebrate the bands 20th anniversary in 2019!! They release a 20th Anniversary 20songs Greatest Hits Album including brand new 2 songs!

MAMIRE MANIA 20 - 2019.7.10 Release / Mojor Records
1.THE PAYDAY（New!）　
2.Absolutely ☆ OK (New!）　
3.Anarchy Morning　
4.SHOCKING　
5.Space Elevator　
6.Start　
7.ASEMO KAI KAI -Heat rash is itchy-　
8.Crazy for you　
9.Bad Dream Bear　
10.Hanami　
11.Tokyo Jellyfish
12.Night Rider　
13.Kitchen Drunker
14.UNDER THE SKY OF YESTERDAY　
15.Road of Girl　
16.Depression　
17.Sonata de Alarm　
18.FA***&FAFA　
19.Human Coating
20.GIVING BLOOD SONG
released July 10, 2019

http://tsushimamire.com/en/

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Shonen Knife - Sweet Candy Power - MV

Shonen Knife - Sweet Candy Power - MV

Oskaka Japan's legendary Shonen Knife's latest single "Sweet Candy Power" from the new album "Sweet Candy Power" on Good Charamel Records in North America, Europe, UK and Mexico!

During the early-'90s alternative wave, quirky Japanese indie rock trio Shonen Knife made major fans out of alt-rock's elite (Sonic Youth, Nirvana, and Redd Kross, among others) and built a solid worldwide cult following with their Ramones-meets-Beatles brand of sticky-sweet punk-pop. Following their early-'80s rise as indie upstarts, they signed to the majors for the release of 1992's breakthrough Let's Knife. With vocalist Naoko Yamano at the core, four albums were issued with the founding trio, before the first of many lineup shuffles. The band's early-2000s output included 2003's Candy Rock and 2005's Genki Shock! Cementing their veteran status in the 2010s, Yamano kept the band going, their endearing charm and no-nonsense punk bursts packing efforts such as 2011's Osaka Ramones and 20th album, 2016's Adventure.

Formed by Michie Nakatani (vocals, bass), Naoko Yamano (vocals, guitar), and Atsuko Yamano (drums), Shonen Knife started in December 1981 in their hometown of Osaka, Japan, where all three members were working as office clerks. The band played its first real show in March of the following year. Soon after, they began issuing albums in Japan, including 1982's cassette-only release Minna Tanoshiku (English translation: Everybody Happy?), 1983's Burning Farm, 1984's Yama No Attchan, and 1986's Pretty Little Baka Guy (the latter of which was reissued with extra tracks four years later, under the title Pretty Little Baka Guy/Live in Japan). Although their records were only available in the U.S. via import, Shonen Knife struck a chord with the underground with a track that appeared on the Sub Pop 100 compilation in 1986. In 1989, a collection of alternative bands even recorded renditions of their favorite Shonen Knife songs for the tribute album Every Band Has a Shonen Knife Who Loves Them.

The first Shonen Knife release to be issued outside of Japan was a 1990 self-titled compilation that featured the entire Burning Farm and Yama No Attchan albums, as well as three tracks that were only previously available on the obscure Japanese comp Aura Music. Shortly thereafter, the group began touring America on a somewhat regular basis, supporting its 1991 release 712 with some dates opening for Nirvana just prior to the runaway success of Cobain and company's now-classic Nevermind album. Now the hip band to name-drop, Shonen Knife signed their first major U.S. recording contract with Capitol, resulting in the release of one of their finest (and best-known) albums, 1992's Let's Knife. A year later, the group switched to the Virgin label, issuing Rock Animals, which would spawn a semi-popular MTV video with "Tomato Head" (even landing a spot on the network's popular animated series Beavis & Butthead).

In 1994 the trio performed as part of the traveling alternative rock festival Lollapalooza and contributed a cover of "Top of the World" to the Carpenters tribute album If I Were a Carpenter, while Virgin issued an 18-track collection of rare tracks, Birds & the B-Sides, in 1996. Although they were able to greatly expand their U.S. fan base, Shonen Knife never obtained the breakthrough success that was expected by many, resulting in the group returning to the independents and issuing such further releases as 1997's Brand New Knife, 1998's Happy Hour, and the 2000 Japan-only release Strawberry Sound (which featured the band's revamped lineup of Atsuko Yamano on bass and Mana Nishiura, who joined Shonen Knife after Nakatani left in 1999, on drums).

Vocalist Naoko Yamano was the only original member during the mid- to late 2000s, but even after 20-plus years and difficulties maintaining a consistent lineup, the band showed no signs of slowing. In 2005, Oglio reissued the band's first four albums, and the band released Genki Shock in Japan; late that year, Nishiura was killed in a New Jersey traffic accident while touring with DMBQ. Both Shonen Knife and DMBQ performed at a tribute concert for Nishiura that was held in Kyoto in spring 2006, shortly before the U.S. release of Genki Shock. The band continued on with drummer Etsuko Nakanishi and bassist Ritsuko Taneda, releasing a live album and another full-length, Super Group, in 2009. A few months after completing 2010's Free Time, drummer Nakanishi parted ways with the band, to be replaced by Emi Morimoto. After celebrating their 30th anniversary with a concert in New York, the Yamano/Taneda/Morimoto lineup released Pop Tune in 2012 and Overdrive in 2014.

The year 2015 saw more lineup changes for Shonen Knife. In March, founding drummer Atsuko rejoined the band on bass, a reunion that was supposed to be a temporary gig while Ritsuko was away on maternity leave. However, Ritsuko did not return and Atsuko continued with the band. Months later, Morimoto announced her departure and was replaced by Risa Kawano (Brinky). In April 2016, the year of their 35th anniversary, Kawano and the Yamano sisters returned with Shonen Knife's 19th studio album, the '70s rock-inspired Adventure, which featured the single "Jump Into the New World." The following year they delivered the compilation Ready! Set!! Go!!!, a special collection released in conjunction with their tour of Australia. In 2018, the band celebrated their comeback success with ALIVE! in Osaka, a live collection culled from their lengthy list of punk confections. ~ Greg Prato & Neil Z. Yeung, Rovi
www.shonenknife.net/

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