Genki Shock!

Shonen Knife, ??KNIFE | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 9, 2012)
• Original Release Date: April 11, 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Glue Factory Records
• ASIN: B000EOTVYI
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #170,318 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #77 in Music > Alternative Rock > Indie & Lo-Fi > Twee Pop

Editorial Reviews

Shonen Knife came back in 2006 with the all new Genki Shock! In their 25th anniversary as a group, Shonen Knife stay true to their “Ramones Of Japan” punk pop roots. Fans call this sharper edged release their best in years. The US version has been re-recorded in English, it features a new sequence, and it has a new version of the album art with English lyrics in the liner notes.
“The word ‘Genki’ means cheerful, high-spirited, vigorous or spry in Japanese. I’d like you to be ‘Genki’ with this album. Also the word ‘Genki’ is similar to the Japanese word ‘Denki’. ‘Denki Shock’ means ‘Electric Shock’. If you listen to Shonen Knife, you will get a cheerful shock. Have fun!”
- Naoko Yamano

This product is manufactured on demand using CD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Welcome Back Shonen Knife, May 23, 2006

By 

W. Johnson (The Mile High City) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Genki Shock! (Audio CD)

This is not Shonen Knife's best album, but it is the best since Michie left the group. Genki Shock has a low tech feel thanks toa lack of sythesizers and to me a more guitar oriented sound that harkens back to Shonen Knife's best two albums (Happy Hour and Brand New Knife).

What Genki Shock lacks (as with all albums after Michie's departute) is the band's soul. Noako still proves to be a clever songwriter, guitarist and singer. Atsuko is adequate on bass and backing vocals. Atsuko is one of my favorite drummers (listen to her command and timing and find anyone more skilled) and is far better in that role than the previous two.

The new Knife album is good, solid and a welcome addition to my collection.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best since Happy Hour, March 14, 2008

By 

Robert H. Knox (Brentwood, NH United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Genki Shock! (Audio CD)

I've owned this disc for a while, but wanted to put in my two cents worth anyway...Shonen Knife have captivated me for years and have been woefully underappreciated in the USA. The rock press tended to either dismiss them out of hand or write them off as a novelty act. But SK are, in fact, one of the most entertaining bands in the business, with material that far outshines much of what passes for rock music today. Naoko Yamano has always been adept at writing songs that stay with you, and writes in several different styles: surf-twang, British Invasion, Floydian etherealism, and even jazzy lounge music. But when SK cut loose and break into flat-out punk and metal mode, it's truly a riot. These more raucous tunes dominate GENKI SHOCK!, making it Knife's most fun CD since HAPPY HOUR. Of course we have songs about food and animals, as well as junk e-mail, anime and odd fantasies. My fave cuts are GIANT KITTY, SPIDER HOUSE, and THE QUEEN OF DARKNESS, Naoko's tribute to (or lampoon of) Ozzy and Black Sabbath. To nitpick a bit: yes, I dislike the male vocals too: it hasn't been done too much, but it does kill the song when it is done and should be avoided. Atsuko, also, has been called upon to do too much...it surely must say something about Michie Nakatani's talent that, several years after her mysterious departure from Shonen Knife, a suitable permanent replacement has still not been found. Lest I forget the annoying paper sleeve: it's difficult to get out the lyric sheet without tearing the package, and I failed at that task. Nitpicking aside, please buy GENKI SHOCK! if you haven't already done so. It's a fine CD, and Naoko could use your support. At this writing, she is the last original SK member still in the band. (Atsuko retired in 2006.) The new Shonen Knife includes drummer Etsuko Nakanishi (who played on GENKI SHOCK!) and a new "support bassist" known only as Hatsue. A new CD, FUN! FUN! FUN! is out in Japan, is every bit as good as GENKI SHOCK and may or may not see a USA release. Only by supporting this underrated and very lovable band can we make that happen.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A sharper knife, January 14, 2007

By 

Amazonian (San Francisco<P>San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Genki Shock! (Audio CD)

Since Miki's departure from the band, Shonen Knife has continued to produce strong pop-punk with unpretentious production values. Now, Naoko is in charge of song-writing, and her affecton for catchy power-chord punk is obvious in nearly every track.

"Anime Phenomenon" recalls the wistful and fun style of Brand New Knife (my favorite SK CD), and "Rock Society" captures the three-chord punk aesthetic perfectly. Shonen Knife mixes it up with a few slower numbers, but there's often an amusing feel to the songs, as with "Under My Pillow" - Naoko's tale of sleep paralysis. I could do without the male backup vocals in a few sections, but the whole CD is so heartfeltt and brimming with fun that for the most part, it's hard to suppress a smile.

May Shonen Knife continue to rock on!