''Happy Hour'' is a 1998 album by the

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

trio,

Shonen Knife Shonen Knife is a Japanese pop-punk band formed in Osaka in 1981. Influenced by 1960s girl groups, pop bands, the Beach Boys, and early punk rock bands such as the Ramones, the band crafts stripped-down songs with simple yet unconventional lyr ...

. The cover artwork is by Yoshitomo Nara. It is the last album by the group with their original bass guitarist,

Michie Nakatani (born October 8, 1961) is a Japanese retired musician, best known as one of the founding members of the Japanese pop-punk band Shonen Knife. Biography Nakatani was born in Osaka, Japan, the only child of a homemaker mother and an accountant ...

"Banana Chips"

Release

Ahead of the album's release, "Banana Chips" was released as an official single. The European edition of the

CD single A CD single (sometimes abbreviated to CDS) is a music single in the form of a compact disc. The standard in the Red Book for the term ''CD single'' is an 8 cm (3-inch) CD (or Mini CD). It now refers to any single recorded onto a CD of any si ...

included three versions of the song: the English version, the Japanese version, and a remix called the "EYƎ Mix." The Japanese edition of the CD single included the Japanese mix and the EYƎ Mix, as well as two other remixes.

Music Video

A music video for the song was released. It is animated, and features the members of Shonen Knife as animated performers, performing for a crowd of bananas.

Reception

"Banana Chips" received mixed reviews from music critics.

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, in their review of "Happy Hour," stated that the song held "fast to" the group's "usual obsessions," while

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

called the track "frolicking."

Critical reception

The album garnered mixed reviews upon its release.

' Sarah Zupko praised the album and said that "''Happy Hour'' is rolicking frolick through bubblegum pop culture—all perfect pop melodies, shiny choruses, and songs about cookies, hot chocolate, sushi, and banana chips," concluding that "this record is one helluva guilty pleasure."

's review, written by Jason Ankeny, was less positive, stating " the Shonen Knife aesthetic has become pure formula, and the joke just isn't that funny anymore." Musicologist Brooke McCorkle Okazaki's book on the album for the 3 1/3Japan series considers the band's positioning as "josei rock"--music by women not fitting neatly into mass-marketed categories--and the expression of gender and food culture in their songs. McCorkle Okazaki, Brooke, and Nathan Hopson. "Shonen Knife's Happy Hour." New Books Network, July 15, 2021, https://newbooksnetwork.com/shonen-knifes-happy-hour

Track listing

All songs written by Naoko Yamano, except where noted. #"Shonen Knife Planet" #"Konnichiwa" #"Cookie Day" #"Hot Chocolate" #"Sushi Bar Song" #"Fish Eyes" (Michie Nakatani) #"Banana Chips" #"Dolly" #"Jackalope" (Nakatani) #"Gyoza" #"Catch Your Bus" (Nakatani) #"People Traps" #"His Pet" #"

Daydream Believer "Daydream Believer" is a song composed by American songwriter John Stewart shortly before he left the Kingston Trio. It was originally recorded by the Monkees, with Davy Jones singing the lead. The single reached No. 1 on the U.S. ''Billboard ...

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John Stewart John Stewart may refer to: Business * John Aikman Stewart (1822–1926), American banker * John Killough Stewart (1867–1938), businessman and philanthropist in Queensland, Australia * John K. Stewart (1870–1916), American entrepreneur and inve ...

) Notes: *"Sushi Bar Song" features backing vocals by the band The Presidents Of The United States Of America. *The demo release of this CD has an additional Michie Nakatani song, "Huge Snail".

Personnel

* Naoko Yamano - guitar, vocals *

- bass, keyboards, vocals *

Atsuko Yamano (born February 22, 1964) is a Japanese people, Japanese musician, best known as a member of the pop-punk band Shonen Knife. She formed the band in 1981 at age 17, along with her sister Naoko Yamano and Michie Nakatani. In the first incarnation o ...

- drums, backing vocals

References

{{Authority control Shonen Knife albums 1998 albums