Yes, after Judy and Mary, Yuki is still performing, now with a super female quintet called Mean Machine.

I waited anxiously for months to find out what she and other luminaries like Ayumi, Chiwaki, Yukarie and Chara have produced, and I finally received their first stellar album [Cream], about a week ago.

To my ears, Mean Machine have this Breeders meets Cake Like thing going on, with more low-hi-fi ooomph and reckless abandon than most of us deserve.

Songs like [Su-Ha] - the opening track and first single, which goes from heavy breathing to [Pod]-era Kim Deal guitar action, with some Kim Gordon thrown in for good measure - rock the house more completely than anything you'll hear on the radio in the US these days.

I'm particularly partial to [Lucky Star], the MM anthem which never ceases to amaze me (and start my head bobbing with the Yuki big-beat drum-crash action). This is the song to start out 2002 right with, and if you're not hooked by the second verse then I fear for your sonic-soul

Other stand-out tracks are [My Little Bag] (early Shonen Knife meets Guided by Voices), [Te Ni Nore] (a solidly-sweet slow sway), and [Oui? D'accord?] (some skanky joy thanks to Yukarie). Heck, every track has something splendid to offer, from pseudo Sleater-Kinney to post-Le Tigre, and they're all sequenced expertly and wrapped with a nice, bright long-haired bow.

Do you understand me? Mean Machine aren't just destined for greatness - they already are great. Ignore this album at your peril.

If you want to hear for yourself what they have to offer, then check out their shiny sounds from [Cream] on this Sony Page. Yes, there are snippets of every song.

Also, make sure to find out what Yuki is up to lately, in my special shrine for her.