Both of their album covers are mind blowing eyegasms and you can almost see the pixie dust floating through the air song after song. This is the fiercest of the fierce, the best of the best, and at times, corniest of the corny.
We’re talking about Perfume’s sophomore release, Game. And trust me, these girls are far from the scent you can find at your local dollar store.
The albums opener track, “Polyrhythm,” paints a landscape for what the album takes you through, which is nothing short of a ride through luxurious dance grooves, boom-tss beats, synth heavy madness and cute high pitched vocals that sound more innocent than Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen back when they were on Full House. Perfume continue their hard ass Pop beats through the next two tracks “Plastic Smile” and “GAME.” The albums title track may have the best production on a dance track that has been produced in years.
Even when Perfume takes the slower route for songs such as “Baby Cruising Love,” they know just what to do to keep your attention: vocals that are drawn out, sugary, sweet and sound like they’re rather bored with life at times. They even thrown in a great sounding snare drum.
“Chocolate Disco” may throw you off. Its title sounds like it’d be something that would end up on a Dora the Explorer soundtrack, but I assure you that both this song and “Macaroni,” the song that follows, are filled with nothing but pure camp, pop happiness. The song named after the pasta allows you to take a break from an album that could’ve been named “WEWILLATTACKYOUWITHOURSYNTHS,” with a beat that is stripped down for a more laid back feel.
Sometimes, I feel like pulling a Britney Spears and dancing on a pole. Up until this point, if I had the chance to pull off a stripper move, I would’ve probably told the DJ to turn on Out Hud’s “How Long” and let my inner Lindsay Lohan shine (see I Know Who Killed Me,) however, out with the hud and in with the “Take Me, Take Me.” A song which smells of electronic sex, Perfume tells the listener “take me, take me, take me tonight,” over and over again. I’m unsure what the Japanese lyrics are actually saying, but I’m sure that they’re equally as sexy.
The girls, who sound like they’re talented eight year olds, get creative on us with “Secret, Secret.” The song starts out with four measures, and after the third the track fades out–only to come at you with a subtle nudge, until the song is built up into a dance frenzy.
By the time the last three songs come on, one of two things will happen to you. Choice number one: you’ll continue listening or choice two: You will want to turn it off because you cant take the boom-tss anymore. Let’s pretend that this time I chose choice number one and go on with the review. “Twinkle Snow, Powdery Snow,” is another song title that sounds like something Mariah Carey would pull off the top of her head while she is sitting in her home studio, leaning up against her pink road cases.
I give this album an absolute perfect rating. If you’re looking at this album from a dance perspective, there are no flaws. Its like they took Madonna‘s Confessions on a Dancefloor, and turned it into J-pop bliss. Perfume should’ve called this album Hard Candy, because it sure suits this record even more than it does Madonna’s new release.
Recommended listens from “GAME” by Perfume:
-Polyrhythm
-Game
-Baby Cruising Love
-Macaroni
-Take Me, Take Me
