Perfume ~Complete Best~ Review

Hello! Welcome again to Macaroni-i! Today I’ll be reviewing Perfume’s debut album, ~Complete Best~. I became a fan of Perfume back in 2006 when this was released, so I <3 it! I thought of reviewing GAME, but I’ll probably do it later anyway.

This album complied Perfume’s releases ever since they debut, A-sides and B-sides included too.   The reason why this particular album is so special to me is because it’s what made me their fan. Back in their indies times, they were quirky and cute, and very idol-like! As they grew up, their music did too, it became a little more complex without ever losing the fun in it, which is why I love them so much!

1. Perfect Star Perfect Style: This was one of my first favorite Perfume songs. It caught my ear immediately! The “Perfect Star – Perfect Style” sung through the whole song are what makes it so catchy, I think. I like how the song is upbeat and lively even though it’s about a break up XD This song never fails to make me dance in my seat whenever it comes up!

Rating: 5 out of 5

2. Linear Motor Girl: This song was Perfume’s major debut single. I’ve never been a huge fan of it, but it’s very “Perfume-like” since quirky is probably the best word to describe it. It’s playful even from the beginning, with the “girl” in Linear motor GIRL! line sung in a high pitched girly tone. It sounds very computer-esque too XD the lines have some sort of monotone or dissonant quality to them that makes them sound almost like a machine. This is a song that you could listen to in a videogame! The thing that I find the must funny about this particular song is how I usually skip it whenever it comes in my playlist, but then when I listen to it I remember how much fun it is! Lots of cute computer sounds in the background and my favorite part is when they start counting, it’s just so random XD

Rating: 4 out of 5

3. Computer City: This has always been my favorite Perfume song, and I’d be lying if I said it was for anything other than its lyrics, actually. This doesn’t mean that I think it’s a bad song, musically speaking, because I think in this aspect is one of Perfume’s best ever! But I just feel like I can connect so much to those post-apocalyptic love song lyrics XD The chorus is beautiful and sticks in your head without fail, but it’s actually the verses that I find the most memorable, with the synth melody backing them up.

Rating: 5 out of 5

4. Electro World: The album version starts with a subdued chord and then the cute blips and beeps. But this isn’t a cute song. The first verse is almost a capella, and then the whole instrumentation builds up for the chorus. I like how there are electric guitar riffs in this song, it makes it musically interesting and adds to the heavy synth beats in the background music. This is probably Perfume’s best single, in my opinion, its sung beautifully and manages to convey a certain unsettling but powerful emotion. Musically its very interesting, with its constantly changing melodies and beats, making this song a great start for anyone who wants to become a fan.

Rating: 5 out of 5

5. Inryoku: Another quirky song! I quite like Inryoku, it’s cute and fun without being too much. It starts with the overlapping voices of the girls singing the first phrase sweetly, and then goes into the verses, which are less interesting but still cute. The background music is the usual cyber techno stuff, but this time there’s a tiny piano like sound (tiny piano XD I suck at reviewing Perfume LOL) which drives the song. The “Pa pa pa pa” in the background music are fun, but I find the girls voices kind of monotonous at times, which is why the beeps and stuff help the song’s mood so much.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

6. Monochrome Effect: This song has a way of clinging in my brain forever, especially the beginning of the verses! This is an old indies single, and Perfume were all young and cute when they sung it (not that they aren’t cute now, they’re just, you know, older and cute XD). This one has just hints of an electronic sound, so it’s not as techno influenced as the more recent singles. Also, the girl’s voices aren’t computer distorted, which is a nice change of pace every now and then! I’m sick of listening to people say that we will never find out if Perfume can sing or not, I mean, come on! Their earlier singles didn’t have so much vo coder in them, and the girls have performed them live lots of times! Anyway, back to the song, fun and bouncy with lots of cute elements into it, I love it.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

7. Vitamin Drop: I don’t know why, but in this song the girls voices sound in the lower range, which gives it a different overall feel than the rest of Perfume’s usual work. It has the usual blips and synth background, which sound somewhat dissonant because of the quality of the voices here. I like the short pizzicatto like fragments that accompany the verses, they sound cute. The best part of the song are the solos halfway through the song, because of their use of only soft delicate sounds that help make the sometimes dull background music more enjoyable. Yeah, not the best Perfume song out there, but if anything, it’s worth listening only for how different it sounds from what we’re used to hear from them.

Rating: 3 out of 5

8. Sweet Doughnuts: This is Perfume’s first indies single, and I really like it. It’s quite upbeat, with the mix of electronic sounds with a very poppy tune ends up sounding refreshing and exciting. Very catchy! It’s also fun to listen to it now that they’ve grown up and sound a bit different, it never loses its fun quality!

Rating: 4 out of 5

9. Foundation: This is a medium paced song, and it sounds “hip” I don’t know how to describe it well, but it’s like something you could hear in a classy bar or something like that. I like the effect created by the random whispered words, it makes the overall mood shift from “laid back” to something a bit more mysterious and elaborate.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

10. Computer Driving: I have a soft spot for this song. I constantly find myself humming it and doing the little dance that goes with it. It has a very distinct melody, like a sequence of beeps that seriously  sticks to your head. In contrast to this, the verses are sung with little voice distortion and are very melodic, which makes for a great balance and an enjoyable song to listen to.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (I might be the only person in the world to rate this song so high, but I find it simply addictive and beautiful all at the same time)

11. Perfume: I thought it was funny to have a song named after the group, but this reflects what Perfume is about, in essence (no pun intended XD) which is why I like it. It’s an upbeat and cheerful song, very poppy and with a repetitive bridge that makes it very catchy (although it can get quite annoying after a while XD). I have to say however, that you can appreciate this song a bit more when you watch it performed live. The girls of Perfume make sure that any performance of this is full of energy and taken to the max!

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

12. wonder2: This song starts with etereal background music and haunting la la la’s that go with it. It’s a slow song, sung with quite distorted vocals, which make it wound even more surreal. I like the prechorus especially, it flows nicely. You know, I wanted to name this blog Wonder2, I really like this pretty ballad, but that username was taken and I had already thought that Macaroni-i was a cute name for a blog anyway so I kept that. I don’t know why I like the most unpopular Perfume songs either, but I just do XD

Rating: 4 out of 5

Overall Rate: 4 out of 5

The Complete Best album is a wonderful compilation of various styles that takes us along Perfume’s musical history in a fun ride. I think that it’s also a great start for people who like the group, because its a display of the range Perfume have as a group, I mean, they can sing serious songs, pure techno, idol pop, 8bit sounding songs… all without losing their own personal style, which is what makes them so remarkable, especially in a changing market like Jpop!