Track Listing
- Challenger
- Linear Motor Girl
- Computer City
- Electro World
- Perfect Star Perfect Style
- Chocolate Disco
- Polyrhythm
- SEVENTH HEAVEN
- Baby cruising Love
- Macaroni
- GAME
- Secret Secret
- love the world
- edge (⊿-mix)
- Dream Fighter
- One Room Disco
CD2
- NIGHT FLIGHT
- I still love U
- Fushizen na Girl
- Natural ni Koishite
- VOICE
- Nee
- FAKE IT
- Laser Beam
- Kasuka na Kaori
- Spice
- MY COLOR
- Spring of Life
- Spending all my time
- Hurly Burly
- Mirai no Museum
- Daijobanai
- Magic of Love (Album-mix)
- 1mm
CD3
- Party Maker
- Sweet Refrain
- Cling Cling
- Hold Your Hand
- DISPLAY
- Relax In The City
- Pick Me Up
- STAR TRAIN
- STORY
- FLASH
- TOKYO GIRL
- If you wanna
- Everyday
- Mugen Mirai
- FUSION
- Future Pop
- Let Me Know
- Nananananairo
1. Challenger
Kind of surprising that we only get two new tracks on the best album but for some reason Challenger makes sense to open the album due to its story. Apparently it’s actually a song Nakata created very early in his career with Perfume. That of course was brought back to life in this album with a changed arrangement and different lyrics (of course the original never saw light, but y’know what I mean). I do like the slow, ethereal opening of the song and what not. It does pick up when the trio enters in and then for some reason it gives me odd Kyarypamyupamyu (almost a little of “Mondai Girl” and “Kira Kira Killer”). Though I think I can sense a little of something unique about it. Not bad, but not quite the level of expectation of being one of the new tracks, but it will get a PV soon sooooo…
2. Linear Motor Girl
Then we enter the remainder of the best album being a chronological run through their main songs (with some exceptions) and a couple of fan-chosen tracks. Going all the way back to 2005, we have our first major label single, Linear Motor Girl which really shows where the group’s roots almost started. This was also marked as the first time the group worked with Yasutaka Nakata (and has been their producer since). The tune is pretty cutesy and electronic with its mix guitars, synths, and all the beeps and boops all over making it come off like a video game. The lyrics are nice if not a little repetitive in sections, but the hook really catches you. Decent song overall!
3. Computer City
Next up, their 2nd major single Computer City comes in with more of a mature electronic sound that wasn’t as squeaky cute as the previous track could be. I really do like the feature of acoustic guitar alongside those bass/gritty synths on top of some electric guitars as well. There’s just something so very sentimental about the mixture of sounds that Nakata was using in this time period that I don’t hear anymore from Nakata’s other works. It does feel slightly short despite it being 5 minuts long oop. Still, there’s just something about this cold song that made it better than what “Linear Motor Girl” brought.
4. Electro World
Though I think it all culminated in the 3rd single (which was technically the 6th) for “Perfume ~Complete Best~” as it picked up on the cold nature from “Computer City” and made it hit harder with more electronics and guitars which really caught me off guard. For an early Perfume song, Electro World was a pretty epic song considering the timing of the release. Not quite sure how the song’s layout worked since it had like 2 verses, 2 different choruses and just seemed to be all over the map, but like I said, it just somehow worked and I ended up loving this song!
5. Perfect Star Perfect Style
There are a couple songs where I kind of knew they were fan-picked, especially this one since it didn’t have a PV to tie with it. As the only new track found on “Perfume ~Complete Best~”, Perfect Star Perfect Style kind of set itself apart from all 6 A-sides by being kind of a mixture of their electronic pop side and their earlier feel as an idol group. If I had to wonder, this kind of fits their “GAME” album curiously enough. Still, the song is still pretty fun to listen to and I like its straightforward hooks and production.
6. Chocolate Disco
Moving to the songs from the “GAME” era, Chocolate Disco was the first up and it followed pretty closely to “Perfect Star Perfect Style” by being more straightforward but also kind of throwing a bone back to more of their idol-like songs like “Monochrome Effect”. The tune has a LOT of synths floating around and it helps the song with its repetitive nature and lyrics. It’s just somehow ridiculously catchy and just a fun time every time it comes on! Great catchy track!
7. Polyrhythm
As the song that skyrocketed the group into being one of the most popular EDM acts in Japan, Polyrhythm was a huge deal for the group and for me the entry point into the group as they slowly became household names. I definitely noticed the change of sound for the group as Nakata slowly shifted away from the poppier idol blips in their previous songs to more of a House/Technopop group. The song itself is just so dreamlike and light and fluffy which is something I hadn’t heard up to that point. It just felt like their music began to feel more mature and cooler in that respect and for that, Polyrhythm is a legendary song!
8. SEVENTH HEAVEN
Another song I assumed only made this best album due to fan votes, SEVENTH HEAVEN was the B-side from “Polyrhythm” and boy I agree with the fans that it’s such a great song and that leaving it off of “GAME” was a bit of a travesty. As best as I can describe it, the song is a bit of a dance track mixed with a ballad and while the heavy amount of autotuned/filtering is strange for a song like this, I really dug it and love the return of electric guitar (even though it’s not at the forefront). It’s a pretty nostalgic track for me and one of my all time favorite songs from them!
9. Baby cruising Love
So they had to follow up “Polyrhythm” somehow and they released a double A-side single with this and “Macaroni”. Baby cruising Love was more of a mid-tempo electropop tune (somewhere in between the styles of the two previous tracks). It was slower and featured piano in amongst the synth beats, but the beats had a bit more bite to it. It’s just another sentimental track and it’s just right as the leading A-side that came after their biggest hit released.
10. Macaroni
Though the other A-side, Macaroni, was more of an interesting tune to me as it switches things up a little bit by going more for a natural approach here (though a lot of the song is still under heaps of electronics) but maybe not the same kind of EDM that flowed through the previous tracks. I kind of like café feel of the song and the vocals are nice to listen to. Though I think I end up forgetting this one because unlike many other songs in their first 3 albums, this one never stuck to me too much, but when I do listen to it, it’s just calm and pleasant mid-tempo Perfume and we don’t get too many of those.
11. GAME
I really shouldn’t be surprised to see GAME here since it was also on their last best album as well! As another fan-chosen song I’m sure, while GAME didn’t get promoted (that was left for “Secret Secret”), this was a powerful song in its own right and it’s one of the group’s more aggressive songs too! While I do feel like lyrically it does feel a bit empty, it definitely carries itself with it’s buzzing synths and gritty guitar strikes as well. I still do love this song though and really represents Perfume in their first 3 albums
12. Secret Secret
So the promotional song from “GAME” got the green light too and boy is this one a doozy! There was just something about it when I first took a listen and it instantly hooked me in. From the hypnotic clockwork of the opening and the building of the synths to this sparkly and futuristic dance beat that really caught my eye and had me permanently stick with the group. I don’t think there’s anyone that doesn’t like this song, it was just well-made and just suited Perfume’s sound and I feel like there just won’t be another one like it. It was just an amazing song all-around.
13. love the world
After how huge “GAME” was for the trio, they had to come back for more to start a new album era up and they kicked it off with love the world. I feel here that they were once again thrown into this middle line between EDM and idol-pop, but it has an air about it that’s a smidge more classy than before? From the blips and bloops with the synths and the “Secret Secret” smoothness of the melody and synths, it just made for a nice comeback after their huge album.
14. edge (⊿-mix)
There’s 3 songs on the album that I am curious to why they were added, not because of the song itself but its version. The first up is edge (the B-side from “love the world” but on this best album, the remix made for the album made the cut (which explains why edge is in front of “Dream Fighter” and “One Room Disco”). This near 9 minute track is pretty interesting for its time because it was dark and a bit harder than other songs (with the exception of both “Electro World” and “GAME”). The original I will admit nowadays feels a bit dead, but this new version from the “⊿” album really takes the cake and runs with it because it had sooooo many bells an whistles added that the 9 minutes didn’t make it drag or feel too long. The song itself is still pretty lit though and the darker mood just works!
15. Dream Fighter
For the first time, I have to say that I was a little bothered by the vocal filters used in Dream Fighter, it kind of made the girls sound a little off and whiny in places which kind of was a no-go for me. Despite that it took a while to grow on me, Dream Fighter is still kind of one of those songs that just exists for the sake of being an A-side. I do like the synths and guitars here, but at the same time it kind of falls in the middle for me.
16. One Room Disco
I still get tricked with the intro for this A-side because it’s hard sounding and kind of feels like it would’ve been epic, but it switches gears pretty quickly and turns into a more modern sounding “Chocolate Disco” with included repetition (especially with the song’s title). I do like the slight 80s feel I get here and the bounce of the track is infectious. One of the more interesting songs that’s for sure~
CD2
1. NIGHT FLIGHT
As we enter the 2nd disc we kick things off with another fan-voted song in NIGHT FLIGHT (and maybe half-way a promotional song from “⊿“). At this point, I was deep into being a huge fan of Perfume and hearing this song was just VERY exciting because it was a quicker song for them and the bouncy nature and crazy lyrical and musical hooks really caught my attention. This really drove the girls intro more of an electro group with such a song and I entirely dug it and still do pretty much!
2. I still love U
Then we get into the actual promotional song from “⊿” and surprisingly it tones things down in comparison to “NIGHT FLIGHT” by getting this almost 80’s synthwave feel about it on top of a slower tempo as well. I think it’s one of the few times where I do think all the filtering and auto-tune kind of gets in the way of the song, I’m not sure why, but the group somehow sounds rough here. Still, I do kind of still love the song regardless as it was a change of pace so to speak.
3. Fushizen na Girl
As we get into the “JPN”-era songs, Fushizen na Girl had to really show of if Perfume is changing again and for the most part it really wasn’t a big change-up feeling more like a continuation of their last album. It gives me a little bit of a fusion of “love the world” and “Dream Fighter” in that sense. I still did like the groove and just as usual, it’s just a fun song to listen to.
4. Natural ni Koishite
As the secondary A-side to the previous track, Natural ni Koishite was a pretty different song in comparison. It was a lot lighter than I was expecting feeling almost refreshing in a sort of way. There was something different with the synths and the happier arrangement just kind of gave me a synthpop Spring-themed track. While I still prefer “Fushizen na Girl” over it, it’s by no means a bad track…it’s a nice change of pace!
5. VOICE
Although I can’t help but question where Nakata was taking the group because when they released VOICE, I initially had mixed feelings (and still do to this day). It isn’t as bouncy as “Natural ni Koishite” was, but it had an almost child-like fantasy feel about it that surprised me. I also noticed the song was lightening up on the vocal effects on the girls a bit though at the same time showing the trio’s more off-sounding vocals. Plus, the song itself was pretty repetitive (especially towards the end). I want to like it, but I get tired of it pretty quickly.
6. Nee
Unfortunately, the repetitive nature continues into their next A-side, Nee which they say a LOT in this song. Though it seems things vocally are better and the arrangement is back to Nakata’s techno beats here with a some nice bass. If I have to be honest, I tend to forget about this song a LOT when talking about their first 3 albums because while it’s a solid track from them, it doesn’t really leave an impression (other than the repetitive ~nee, nee, nee, nee~).
7. FAKE IT
Definitely a fan-chosen track, FAKE IT was the B-side from “Nee” and it’s another one I sometimes question its popularity, but it’s whatever I suppose. Personally, I think I feel similar to this as I do about “Nee” that it’s kind of there for me, but not a song that I would call one of their best. I still dislike that very abrasive intro (that appears a couple more times throughout the tune), but if I ignore that, the tune is fine by me.
8. Laser Beam
At least Perfume kind of hopped back from that slight slump with Laser Beam (which if you remember, their PV was half-recorded initially (because during filming, the big Touhoku earthquake happened and they had to postpone the PV making to release the full one when “JPN” released). This seem to bring back some feels I got from “⊿” maybe a little bit of “NIGHT FLIGHT”. I definitely ended up loving the song and it’s just so much fun and yet cool!
9. Kasuka na Kaori
So with all of these songs, getting Kasuka na Kaori seems to be out of left field here since it really was a farcry from just about all of the previous songs prior. Just from the beginning with the synths and inclusion of piano, the tune was a different kind of track for the trio. It’s a lighter affair that’s almost mid-tempo in that sense and at the time, I really couldn’t be bothered since it was a departure of their EDM style. Nowadays, it’s OK, still not one of their more extravagant songs, but it’s light pop colors are noticeable.
10. Spice
As the last A-side to represent the “JPN” album, Spice was a nice return to form again for some reason to me. When I took my first listen, Spice definitely felt like the group was maturing into a new sound and I for some reason dug this move a lot. It’s not as progressive like “Nee” and “Fushizen na Girl”, but it’s not boring either. It’s just a fabulous middle with this one and always puts me in a relaxing mood.
11. MY COLOR
Before I talk about it, I am just a little surprised that “GLITTER” didn’t make the cut considering I thought that was a huge fan favorite. Anyways, this album track from “JPN” is next and considering there was like only 4 new tracks from that album pickings were quite slim. MY COLOR is another questionable choice for the album but I think it made sense since this is more straightforward of a song from Nakata. I kind of like the song because of it and the EDM beats are nice!
12. Spring of Life
With Spring of Life, lots of things changed around. Perfume changed labels from Tokuma to UNIVERSAL-J was the biggest change mostly, but it feels like their music was going to go through some new changes (though they kept Nakata). Spring of Life as a song doesn’t quite stretch away from stuff they released back on “JPN” or “GAME” It’s poppy but electronic-heavy still and yet has an upbeat feel to it. Yes, I still love that bridge the most out of the song…that was genius-sounding. It’s a neat song and a great way to kick off the “LEVEL3” era.
13. Spending all my time
As the group’s 2nd A-side from “LEVEL3”, Spending all my time was the change I was expecting when they shifted labels, but it was also when Perfume was going global and really wanted a song to cater to the English-speakers hence why Spending all my time exists. There’s a LOT of English in the song (seldom there is Japanese in the later half of the song). I really liked the progressive nature of the song and it’s pretty catchy to say the least, but it could be seen as repetitive too considering most of the songUn is the title itself. I think I enjoy it more than I did back then, but it’s a simple track.
14. Hurly Burly
What an interesting choice to include this B-side from “Spending all my time” here since while it’s a great song, I didn’t think it’d get the focus or votes to be included. Hurly Burly is kind of more of the same electro that followed from the A-side, but there’s more variety in the instrumentation and vocals/lyrics here. I also seem to like the serious glow of the song even if it isn’t the case here. It’s a pretty solid track from the trio here and I’m kind of happy it made the cut.
15. Mirai no Museum
I really wasn’t expecting their next single to really polarize the fandom so hard as such with Mirai no Museum. Unlike the other A-side that represented the “LEVEL3” album, this one was just kind of out of left field. Unlike the EDM-centric vibes, Mirai no Museum goes for more of a synthpop, girlier vibe here and in some ways kind of reminded me of Kyarypamyupamyu’s music. Unfortunately, it never really caught on with me so it kind of past over my head a bit.
16. Daijobanai
Though I instantly would say I preferred the B-side to “Mirai no Museum” of it because it was more upbeat and frantic-sounding. I think compared to its A-side, Daijobanai was more fun and the hooks were catchy as all hell and I definitely found myself tapping my foot along to the beat. Another surprise to see make the cut on the album, I guess the fans really do love this one too!
17. Magic of Love (Album-mix)
I think I’m mostly surprised they pulled the album version from “LEVEL3” instead of using the single version here (and oddly the only one that got this chosen). Granted with a new intro mostly the difference here with some changes in the arrangement as well, Magic of Love is pretty much similar to the single cut so its fair here. Not bad here and it’s one of the better A-sides from them.
18. 1mm
CD2 ends off with the promotional song from “LEVEL3” with 1mm and I really loved how this song flowed for sure. Not too fast, but it doesn’t slog either and the synths really boost the song up for me. It reminds me a bit of how “I still love U” came out in a similar fashion and I really dug all of it. It just has such a solid beat to it and the group really put out a powerful song!
CD3
1. Party Maker
How they decided to open the 3rd CD with Party Maker (an album song from “LEVEL3”) is beyond me, but I would say it definitely managed to impress me considering it’s a lengthy song as it is (a little over 7 minutes) and it’s one of those songs that focuses a lot on Nakata’s skills as their producer. Though the group does appear a lot here which is great! I really like when the tune builds with Perfume singing their lines the most (the 2nd half of the song is really amazing). Funny how it’s the only “LEVEL3” song on the disc, but damn does it open this disc in an amazing way!
2. Sweet Refrain
Getting into the songs from “COSMIC EXPLORER”, Sweet Refrain sees Nakata using dubstep a little bit, but keeps the group in more of a poppy light. At the time, it gave me slight “VOICE” vibes with the brightness of the song, but the piano line and dubstep mix was kind of weird and just made the tune feel a bit dull for me.
3. Cling Cling
I definitely remembered the Chinese-esque MV for this A-side more than I do the song itself, but the song really didn’t hold a heavier candle like it’s album mix from “COSMIC EXPLORER” did so unfortunately the tune wasn’t a song I remember much. Though coming back to it, the beat-driven chorus was pretty cool and some of the arrangement is nice so I guess it’s not all bad of a song. Just odd overall.
4. Hold Your Hand
Seems like 2 of the B-sides from “Cling Cling” made the cut and they both had some kind of PV to go with it. Not quite sure why “MY COLOR” pops up whenever I think about the song, but Hold Your Hand has a little touch of 80s. Other than that, there really wasn’t much for me to really hang onto as the song just kind of flew over my head but I guess I do like the arrangement a lots.
5. DISPLAY
The other B-side DISPLAY was another one of those songs like “edge” and “Party Maker” where a LOT of the song is focused on Nakata’s arrangement moreso than the group themselves. I will say the ~fuuuuu~ does sound epic, but leading into the track’s chorus is slightly weak to me. Still, there’s something about the aggressive nature of the song that works for them. Not bad though.
6. Relax In The City
I think of their A-side, I seem to always forget how this one went (plus it was way overshadowed by it’s sister A-side, “Pick Me Up”). It’s kind of similar to both “Kasuka na Kaori” and Hold Your Hand” with how fluffy and light it is, but it lacks a lot of the EDM sound that the aforementioned songs did have. That said it was a pretty forgettable song from them this time around.
7. Pick Me Up
Like I said, this A-side definitely won me over entirely since “Relax In The City” with it’s harder sound well it’s both hard and soft, pretty back and forth. Though the chorus was pretty banging to say the least and has a pretty epic feel about it. I just love the power behind it all yet has the sensitive verses to mix things up with. It’s just a great song overall and one of the best from the “COSMIC EXPLORER” album.
8. STAR TRAIN
As the last single released before the album released, STAR TRAIN was more like a sentimental lookback at the girls’ careers. This is kind of what “Relax In The City” was missing here with the electronics. Though the verses do included drums, piano, and acoustic guitar which is a nice change. Still, the song isn’t a memorable one for me either for some reason.
9. STORY
As one of the album songs from “COSMIC EXPLORER”, STORY like “edge”, “Party Maker” and “GAME” is ANOTHER Nakata-centric track with not a lot of appearances from the group. This was another song I questioned why it’s here (especially since there’s 9 songs representing “COSMIC EXPLORER”. While it’s not a terribly long song, there’s just too much vocal-less parts here and really doesn’t belong here IMHO.
10. FLASH
I’m curious to why FLASH is after “STORY” because this song was released digitally before their album dropped. Regardless, FLASH seemed to pull Perfume back into some familiar strong territory with a nice build-up and a powerful chorus like what “Hurly Burly” was like. It’s just has a nice beat and everything about it really works. Nice song overall!
11. TOKYO GIRL
As we enter the final album era with selections from “Future Pop”, I definitely was already going to frank and say that it is my least favorite album from Perfume unfortunately. It starts off slowly and I slightly hear the trio with less vocal filters for some reason and I kind of like it. The chorus is of course the highlight by being upbeat and including those dance beats. Not bad.
12. If you wanna
I think if there was a song that I felt like could’ve been left out from the A-sides, it would be If you wanna. I think it tries a little too much to be somewhat Western EDM with the weird drops and dubstep hits and the glitchy vocals all over. Plus it’s like 2:45 in length which I feel compresses the song further into a mess as well. Hated this song and still do to this day x.x
13. Everyday
Which the B-side of that single didn’t help to relieve the pain. Unlike the mess of “If you wanna”, Everyday is hands down a song that probably should’ve stayed in Kyary’s discography as it has the things you would expected. Maybe, the tune is a bit more tuned down, but the wooden piano and beats and overall sense of style just doesn’t really help much. I suppose it’s alright and the trio with less filters is always welcoming. I guess it could grow after more listen.
14. Mugen Mirai
I guess they saved the best for last right? As the last A-side released prior to “Future Pop”, Mugen Mirai was a totally different ballgame going for more of a soundscape-y feel (up ’til the chorus where the beats drop and it’s HEAVY and I love it so much). There’s just something calming about those verses that builds into this chorus that make you want to dance. While it does happen twice, it was just such a different sound for them and this was the move I was hoping for not so much what “If you wanna” did.
15. FUSION
Wow, all of the hard hitting dance tracks made the cut huh? Yeah, it’s the B-side from “Mugen Mirai” and luckily it’s another shorter one that doesn’t drag itself too bare like some other ones did. I still wish there was more for the group to do here though, especially since they have LITTE to do here and while Nakata’s tricks are cool here…we already have that in like 4 other songs XD. Yeah another odd inclusion to say the least.
16. Future Pop
The new get into the album tracks from “Future Pop” with well…the title track. To be honest, I didn’t remember how it went initially because the album was mostly kind of forgettable. Though re-listening, it does sound cool enough and I really like the build-up to the main arrangement which is pretty upbeat and cool. Taking some small feeling from “Mugen Mirai” which was also cool too. Not bad!
17. Let Me Know
I think having this come last is nice since it’s a bit more relaxing and calming of a song and I really like the arrangement and it’s a mix of sentimental, upbeat, and child-like wonder with this one. There’s just something about it that really stuck out and I loved that the group chose this to promote the album.
18. Nananananairo
Ending this best album is the other new track (but it was released digitally on its own prior to the release), Nananananairo. Though listening to the song, I was once again slightly worried because I was getting Kyary vibes out of this song which is a bummer. Actually it does remind me of “Everyday” in a weird way but not quite as upbeat and cutesy. That chorus though is a bit weird though…heavy and slightly dubsteppy too…yeah, no thank you.
Tracks Recommended
- Secret Secret
- Polyrhythm
- edge (⊿-mix)
- Electro World
- Chocolate Disco
- 1mm
- Spending all my time
- NIGHT FLIGHT
- Fushizen na Girl
- Spice
- Mugen Mirai
- Let Me Know
- Party Maker
- Pick Me Up
- DISPLAY
Song of Avoidance
- Challenger
- VOICE
- If you wanna
I didn’t realize it was time again for Perfume to release a best album, but here we are with P Cubed and it’s decent, but maybe slightly off? I do like that it did included most of the A-sides here (“Twinkle Snow Powdery Snow” strangely omitted). Though I think they could’ve left some of the fan-voted songs out (or made them all into a separate disc? There was just some odd choice like “STORY” and “FUSION” and even “Hurly Burly” but yet there was no “GLITTER” to be found (but at the same time this release mostly made their last best album, “LOVE THE WORLD” almost unnecessary and obsolete. Also, only 2 new songs is pretty disappointing hen there’s quite a number of unreleased tracks yet to have physical form…that was a missed opportunity honestly. Still, you can’t go wrong with this release and it is jam packed of favorites, I just hope Nakata isn’t trying to make them Kyary clones because their recent music has been less than favorable to me…
Oh yeah, I hadn’t mentioned but all of the songs (except the new tracks) were remastered on the release and some songs have gotten better with it and some not-so-much. I personally only caught it a couple times with stuff like “Linear Motor Girl”, “Mugen Mirai”, and “edge”. Like I said subtle changes it feels like for most of the songs.
