Blue eyed kitty cat said “Let’s do it one more time”

Shonen knife were one of those bands that you had to get turned on to by a friend or a review in a music mag. They were as radio ready as any other band in the early nineties but only college radio was playing them (and even then the DJ had to have inside info.) Most folks I knew had hear of them because somewhere along the way Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth had name-checked them during an interview with Rolling Stone. (As another aside - remember when Rolling Stone kind of mattered?)

Eventually, college radio was hot and Capitol records got a hold of the band. Let’s Knife rolled around in 1993 complete with a press push, a video and lots of radio support. Their sound was cleaner than before but the surreal lyrics, steady beat and sense of fun hadn’t left. They were still a cult band but now anyone could hear them and pogo around to it. I seem to recall this album being in the CD changer for a lot of college parties mixed in with the Ramones and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones to great effect.

Shonen Kinife - Riding On The Rocket