Search - Puffy AmiYumi :: Nice

Don't pigeonhole Puffy as "J-pop" - this album rocks.

J. Williams | New York, NY | 08/23/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First off, don't be scared off by the "J-pop" label people keep attaching to this band here. Puffy's music has no relation whatsoever to popular Japanese singers like Utada Hikaru, Ayumi Hamasaki or Misia, which have more in common with their American equivalents Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera (to give you a comparison you'd probably be familiar with). Pigeon-holing Puffy into this category really does a great band a serious disservice.



Puffy is hard to categorize, but they call themselves a rock band. But don't call them "J-rock" either - their music these days is mostly written by Jellyfish veteran Andy Sturmer, who is also their mentor (along with Tamio Okuda). It has a decidedly western sound to it, which makes the juxtaposition with their mostly Japanese vocals just that much more striking. (Despite their appearance, Ami and Yumi are both also older and more experienced than most of their Japanese contemporaries - both girls are now in their thirties.)



It's this blend of east meets west and this mish-mash of styles and influences that make them as interesting and as listenable as they are. Their music is immediately appealing the first time you hear it, and it only gets better from there.



"Nice" is, in fact, an album probably more tuned to American tastes than Japanese. It was released after their American debut and is a much harder, heavier album than any they've released previously. That's not to say all the songs are that way, but the overall effect is a sort of folk/pop/rock/punk fusion that leans heavier towards punk than their previous efforts. "Urei", for example, is a particularly loud and noisy song, but with such a powerful and (dare I say it) beautifully melodic tune that it will be difficult to get it out of your head once it's in there.



Several of the album's songs are instant Puffy classics, including the hard rocking "Planet Tokyo" that comes off as a true anthem (also presented in its original Japanese as "Red Swing"); "Invisible Tomorrow", the Japanese version of "Friends Forever" (with a different vocal arrangement - your taste may vary); and the ska-influenced "K2G". In fact, there's really not a bad song on the album; I could list almost every song as a potential highlight.



Since their Japanese debut nearly 10 years ago, Puffy has been marching steadily towards this heavier sound, and when I saw them live just a few nights ago in New York, you'd have been forgiven if you didn't think they were an outright punk band. Some people may prefer the new image to the old, some may feel the opposite, but all of their music is great and all of their music is stamped with their unique personality. When all is said and done, though, "Nice" does stand as one of their best works."

Japan's best kept secret

Erica Anderson | Minneapolis, MN | 09/14/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have been a fan of Puffy AmiYumi for two-three years now. "Fever Fever" was my first introduction to the Japanese power pop duo because I had a friend who talked incessantly about them to a point where I had to check them out. I have been an enormous fan of the group since "Fever Fever". I may not understand Japanese but I sure know a good hook when I hear one. Puffy AmiYumi puts out some of the catchiest and infectious pop songs since the days of ABBA. I was more than annoyed when that idiot P. Diddy threatened to sue the duo for using the name "Puffy", yeah like he is still going by that name today. I was thrilled when their music started to enter the US market because I paid an arm and a leg for import versions of their albums. Their last album "Illustrated History" was basically a compilation for the US listeners, and "Spike" was the US version of the Japanese album (which I own both versions). I recently came across "Nice" in the used cd bins and immediately snatched it up. The cd artwork is a take off on the infamous bedroom scene with John Lennon & Yoko Ono. Once again, I was not disappointed with the new music by my favorite J-pop duo. It is really difficult to categorize Puffy AmiYumi's music. Their music is a mixture of pop, rock, lounge, ska, country, basically everything but the kitchen sink theory. Most of the songs are sung in Japanese however the first track "Planet Tokyo" is sung in english which is always interesting to hear Ami and Yumi sing to. I particularly enjoyed songs like "Tokyo Nights" and "Angel of Love". They are incredibly catchy thanks to ex-Jellyfish, power pop genius Andy Sturmer. "Nice" definitely fits the bill when it comes to describing the album's content. Puffy AmiYumi can do no wrong with this fan."

Like taking a happy pill carved from pure pop

William Whyte | Somerville, MA | 03/07/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Every so often during the recording of this album, Ami or Yumi would say "This track is pretty good, but it only has five entirely unrelated brilliant things going on in it. Can we have seven more please?", and Andy Sturmer (for it is he) would pick a random album from his collection and add the ABSOLUTE BEST BIT from that album, and then they'd do it again and again until every single second of every single song made them all want to jump for joy. This is the only theory that adequately explains the facts of this album and is therefore SCIENCE. They steal more shamelessly than any artist other than Robbie Williams, and more widely than he would ever dare, and they bring you an album where you feel like you know every song already and yet it's still fresh. Five stars aren't enough."