Five Star Lounge

Amen.

My favorite song by my favorite band. From 1993's So Tough album it's "You're In A Bad Way" - a slice of pop perfection.

It's Saint Etienne, my favorite band of all time. Here's Pete Wiggs, Sarah Cracknell and Bob Stanley

Christopher Murther of The Boston Globe wrote in 2005: Theoretically, any band that writes songs with lyrics such as “Banana chips for you!/Banana chips for me!/ In the afternoon, banana chips and tea" should have a life span no longer than that of a grasshopper. But something oddly spellbinding occurs when deceivingly silly lyrics are sandwiched between a buoyant guitar and a rapid-fire, pop-punk drum kit. Which perhaps explains why the Japanese female alternative rock/pop punk trio Shonen Knife is still singing songs about cookies, sushi, jelly beans and, of course, banana chips, [and loop di loop carnival rides!] nearly 25 years after its inception.

Michie Nakatani, Naoko Yamano and Atsuko Yamano are Shonen Knife.

Loop Di Loop comes from the excellent 1997 album “Brand New Knife.” Other 5 star songs from the album are “Wind Your Spring” and “Fruits & Vegetables.” 

Furthermore, despite Cobain's reputation for being difficult, Yamano states working with him was a friendly experience, describing Cobain as "quiet, but very nice". During the tour Naoko taught Cobain how to play their song “Twist Barbie” which Nirvana covered live at one of their secret shows.

One of my favorite bands of all time, Shonen Knife have released a dizzying amount of music over their 33 year underground cult career. Formed in Osaka, Japan in 1981 sisters Naoko and Atsuko Yamano and Michie Nakatani described their music as, "oo-oo-ultra-eccentric-super-cult-punk-pop-band-shonen-knife!"

Shonen Knife’s success came in the late 80’s and early 90’s when the alternative rock scene discovered the band and word of mouth spread fast. A tribute album Every Band Has A Shonen Knife Who Loves Them was released in 1989, solidifying their cult status. 

British band The Woodentops were one of my favorite bands of the 80's, especially because of their album "Giant" and songs like "Give It Time," "Good Thing," and the 5 star classic "So Good Today."

My favorite Woodentops song "So Good Today" is from the superb 1986 album "Giant." Every song is great, especially this one, which surprisingly was never a single from the LP. The big hit was "Good Thing," 

The Woodentops 1986 tour tickets.

Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant are the Pet Shop Boys.

Pet Shop Boys got inspiration for their 1996 album "Bilingual" by visiting South America in the mid 90's. You can hear the latin influences on their hit "Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is)." It was a summer smash 18 years ago. Relive it now as summer comes to a close in 2014.

My 5 star song this week comes from the 1996 Pet Shop Boys album "Bilingual," a South American influenced dance record.