Shonen Knife

For a simple idea to last rather than annoy, it's got to be a mighty good one — like, for instance, the concept behind Shonen Knife. Since the early '90s, when the band regularly opened for Nirvana, sisters Naoko and Atsuko Yamano have built their music upon rock and punk rudiments. However, the Yamanos' chirpy vocals and absurdist lyrics, which resemble charmingly imperfect translations, twist the formula so amiably that complaints about gimmickry seem churlish. Granted, Genki Shock!, the act's latest disc on the Glue Factory imprint, doesn't exactly herald a significant change in direction for the combo. Then again, who needs different when the same is so enjoyable?