Just when we thought white guys with guitars had run out of all the ideas that make white guys with guitars interesting, Japanther came along. Theirs isn't a Brooklyn legend you'll read about generations later. They're still active right now, with things like "pick up check from New York State Council for Japanther 3-D" and "finish rock opera" scribbled into their agendas. It appears that the duo has taken on a "collaborate/adapt or die" mentality, and it's proving beneficial, as they manage to stand out in an otherwise tired genre. The kicker: It's not a gimmick.

When you actually sit down with a Japanther track, you'll find the band is capable not only of undertaking commissioned art projects, composing interactive operas and throwing shows in strange venues (bridges, specialty high schools, etc.), but also of writing really great no-frills pop songs. Although they've been based in Brooklyn since their inception, Japanther have a notably grungy West Coast edge to their garage punk, and the hooks are not lost in all the grit. Today's MP3 is a fine example of that; we're sure you'll be sock-hopping and exaggeratedly bobbing your head from side to side the rest of the day with the hook "Stolen flowers decorate your roo-ooo-oom" bouncing in your brain.

We talked with Ian Vanek, one-half of the Recess Records stars, about 'Stolen Flowers,' and he said the single is about just what the title suggests: "covering your bedroom in the most beautiful liberated bouquets."

Japanther's new record, 'Eat Like Lisa Act Like Bart,' drops May 21. Watch for updates here.

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