Ex-Girl

Quirky Japanese-chick punk is practically a genre unto itself. And like a three-headed Hello Kitty cartoon come to life, Ex-Girl rocks and reels and rambles its way into your heart with a smile and a song. The trio sports funny little costumes made up of everything from rubber wigs and frog-head masks to funky flowerpot dresses, and its sunny ditties have cute titles such as "Upsy Daisy Ramsy" and "Cucumber Surrender." But the secret behind this Girl's Casio-flavored hyperwave is that it can get down with the best of 'em. Drawing rightful comparisons to vintage B-52s (and wrongful comparisons to Frank Zappa), Ex-Girl has held its own on tours with Love and Rockets and Fantomas. The latter band's leader, Mike Patton, was so taken with the band that he signed it to his Ipecac imprint and helped it achieve a strong cult following in the United States. Live, the band is energetic and visceral, bridging the gap between the futuristic and the nostalgic with style and wit.