Search - Shampoo :: We Are Shampoo

Viva la megababes!

Daniel J. Hamlow | Narita, Japan | 12/23/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A year or so before the Spice Girls spread girl power in the UK and Puffy AmiYumi landed their brand of power pop in Japan, there were two bratty pint-sized girls, Carrie and Jacqui, aka Shampoo, who made a brief spark with We Are Shampoo, a power pop band with a sound similar to Voice Of The Beehive, but instead of the deeper concepts explored by VOTB, lash out with barbed swipes. The Divinyls and Nirvana have nothing on these girls--they get fiercer as the albums goes on."Trouble" was the first single and despite the power pop guitars, the overall sound doesn't serve as a spearhead to introduce them to the US. The raucous and bratty rap in the verses put them as a female version of the Beastie Boys. More than that, it was featured on the soundtrack to the first Power Rangers movie, but only got a few seconds in the movie, which may also have led to the lack of promotion Shampoo got in the US. That's what the trouble is with this song, a lack of something."Delicious" is more characteristic of Shampoo's power pop sound, featuring Generation X-ish guitars and bratty vocals. Now this would've been a more potent way to introduce them to the US market, but nobody listens to me.They pat themselves on the back with the wall-like fuzz guitar of "Viva La Megababes," which describes them as "a cool sensation! what a creation!" "Who's the latest teenage dream?" on the front of every magazine." "camera's watching when we go shopping." Quite an ego trip there, but with a great sound."Dirty Old Love Song" has the girls slamming the likes of Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, criticizing the false front the radio divas put on with that snarling guitar going on. The message here is basically, despite the clean-image marketing, and lyrics about their hearts being on fire, they're basically singing dirty old love songs. However, they really slam the two thus: "tacky and cheap/sickly and sweet/don't forget to keep your receipt" Ouch! Even though I have the deepest respect for Mariah, I admit these brats do have a point."Skinny White Thing": A rocking number against the snobby, fashion models "you've got style, you've got looks, but your brain's off the hook, hanging in the hall." Point scored. "Skinny white thing/living in your own wet dream" Ooh, another one! The intensity of this song rivals "Smells Like Teen Spirit.""Glimmer Globe" is another song with a great guitar and really pronounced drums banging away with abandon. It's about the disco days, "before the strife: but also "before the desert war and before the lost boys came knocking on your door.""Shiny Black Taxi Cabs" is a song about them having a night on the town and ending up with them throwing up in the cab, to which cabbies rants about them, "Bring back hanging. Hanging? Hanging's too good for them." Love that catchy pre-chorus bit: "midnight traffic light, green's for go-go/back seat joyride, we love Soho."The pace changes a bit with the reggae-ish "Game Boy" about someone too obsessed to beat their highest score on the video game system. "Game boy/ain't she got no brain, boy?" they go.The other songs maintain the energy level, especially the techno/rap of "House Of Love" all wrapped with that power pop wall of sound. And the girls really let loose with the guitars and outraged screams on "Saddo" about the condition of no parties, no funs.The ne plus ultra of their sound is a ferocious attack that earns them the epithet Sexy Pistols. It's that fierce! "We Don't Care" again has that punk rock attitude that would go over well with the likes of Sid Vicious. "we don't care if you think we're dumb/we don't care about anyone/we don't care because we're young/because our time has just begun." Best song here by far.The phrase of the light burning twice as bright burning twice as fast seems applicable to them, as they fizzled out. Raucous, loud, silly fun that sadly didn't last long. Call them Voice Of The Beehive mixed with the Sex Pistols, but with a lot more attitude. A unique one-of-a-kind album, and viva those megababes!"