Yumi Yoshimura and Ami Onuki, the savvy entrepreneurs behind the Japanese girl pop duo Puffy AmiYumi, return with Spike, their fourth full-length collection of new material and their first under a shiny new moniker.
(The artists, formerly known only as Puffy, were legally blindsided and robbed of their six-year-old stage name by Sean "Puffy" Combs -- aka Puff Daddy, aka P-Diddy -- who apparently didn't think the world was big enough for two Puffys.
(Rumors that he will take out a copyright on the letter "P" could not be confirmed at press time.) Like 1999's Fever*Fever, Spike is an ultra-cute, polished piece of work that draws heavily on the duo's Western influences, from Brian Setzer and Brian Wilson to the Go-Go's and the Ramones.
"Boogie Woogie No.
5" is a competent stab at big-band rockabilly, complete with jazz guitars and a rollicking horn section; "Shut Your Mouth, Honey" is an infectious bit of retro power pop that's eerily reminiscent of the Brady Bunch's "Keep On"; and "Sui Sui" sounds like an inspired hybrid of Shonen Knife and the Beach Boys.
Indeed, Spike is a mixed bag of musical styles, with Yoshimura and Onuki showing off their diverse talents on each track.
The result is pure joy, the kind of hook-driven pop that will surely win them a solid fan base in America.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sui SuiPuffy AmiYumi, Ami Onuki | Puffy AmiYumi | Play | 02:12 | 5 MB | 14 MB |
| 2 | ブギウギNo.5 (Boogie Woogie No.5) | Puffy | Play | 04:11 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 3 | すみれ (Sunrire) | Puffy | Play | 03:57 | 9 MB | 29 MB |
| 4 | 問答無用 (Mondou Muyou) | Puffy | Play | 04:15 | 9 MB | 31 MB |
| 5 | Cosmic流れ旅 (Cosmic Nagaretabi) | Puffy | Play | 04:40 | 10 MB | 33 MB |
| 6 | Destruction Pancake | Puffy | Play | 03:16 | 7 MB | 23 MB |
| 7 | スーイスーイ (Su-i Su-i) | Puffy | Play | 02:34 | 5 MB | 17 MB |
| 8 | プールにて (Pool Ni Te) | Puffy | Play | 04:29 | 10 MB | 28 MB |
| 9 | 青いリンゴ (Aoi Ringo) | Puffy | Play | 03:07 | 7 MB | 21 MB |
| 10 | さくらの花が咲く甘い甘い季節の唄 (Sakura no Hana ga Saku Amai Amai Kisetsu no Uta) | Puffy | Play | 03:35 | 8 MB | 23 MB |
| 11 | 海へと (Umi e to) | Puffy | Play | 03:10 | 7 MB | 22 MB |
| 12 | パフィーのルール (PUFFY no Rule) | Puffy | Play | 04:12 | 9 MB | 30 MB |
| 13 | 12月 (Juunigatsu) | Puffy | Play | 04:21 | 9 MB | 28 MB |
| 48 mins | 110 MB | |||||
| 48 mins | 333 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ami Onuki | Composer |
| 2 | Puffy AmiYumi | Composer, Group, Primary Artist |
| 3 | Andy Sturmer | Composer, Drums, Keyboards, Percussion |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |