Pop Tune

How can a trio of cute Japanese women who perform simple pop-punk garage songs in both English and Japanese avoid being a novelty act after playing for 30 years? The Osaka-based Shonen Knife answers that question on the title song from its 18th album, Pop Tune. “Pop Tune” is a wonderful and loud paean to the delirious pleasures of pop music. It’s about three minutes long, and when it’s over you’ll hit "repeat." “Since you’re already here/think of happy things,” singer/guitarist Naoko Yamano intones just before the heavy riffs kick in. A few seconds later, the meaning's revealed: “When I listen to the music/I get power.” And, really, that’s all there is to it. Sure, you’ve heard these same chords and melodies and everything before, but there's so much good-natured spirit here that none of that matters. The wheel is not only reinvented here; it sparkles with psychedelic glitter.