Hi. I just picked up Cosmic Explorer, and can't make up my mind whether I like the album version or single version of Flash better. I have the single too. This album is a little different than their previous releases, but if it wasn't there'd be no point to getting it. I love it. I also hope to see them when they come to Chicago in August. Anybody else like them? PS. This album, the single, and their previous albums are all available in the US on iTunes in case anybody's curious. WARNING: It's Japanese Technopop, so if you're not a fan of that genre, it's probably not for you.
I liked "Polyrhythm," but I feel like Perfume strays too far towards the obnoxious end of the spectrum to the point where their production team sacrifices musicality for the "on-trend" sound. In regards to J-Pop, they feel like a blip in comparison to some of the more talented acts out there, this maybe because they feel so manufactured (are they?). Still waiting for Hikaru Utada to make her big return.
It took me a long time to like them. At first I couldn't understand the appeal. It all sounded the same to me. Fans were raving about Game and Triangle, and I just couldn't see why. I finally found my point of entry with Complete Best, which was a little less techno and a little more standard pop. Well once I was in, their other releases made a lot more sense. Rather than looking as the later albums as songs, I began appreciating them as collections of sounds and textures. I think the first later track that appealed to me on that level was Edge. It was so driving and skewed sounding that it really got under my skin. More and more I got acclimated. I began to play the albums sequentially, spending whole evenings with them. Utada's great. Can't argue with that. The thing is, Perfume are active right now, and growing. They really are doing a brief US tour this year, and I like that they've garnered that much appeal. I'd like Ai Otsuka to make more of a decent comeback as well, but I don't think that's likely to happen anytime soon. This band and YUKI seem to keep going though, always coming up with fresh material. That's part of the appeal. A new album I really like when I've played the old ones out.