Kayo Aiko's eleventh single was released on November 15, 2006. The title is 'cosmic cosmetics' and the c/w is 約束の樹の下で... which can be pronounced 'Yakusoku no Ki no Shita de...', and can be translated as 'Promise Under the Tree'.
Aiko was continuing a string of upbeat A-sides, beginning with 'Kanojo', then 'Hold on to love', then 'HOME MADE STAR', and there was no video for this song or the previous one. I think by this point they decided that you were either *on* or *not on* the Aiko boat, and it was going to sell whether or not they made a PV.
I had pre-ordered both the limited and regular editions from CDJapan so it was in my hands but days after it was released. I really liked the songs from the first listen. Standard practice was to put the A-side on repeat for the first couple days or so. The first time I really listened to the c/w, I was moving my couch, not an easy task with a hide-a-bed tucked inside. Still, I was struck by how gorgeous the song really is.
So here's the deal, fans and readers... this single is, like, the polar opposite of 'Little planets'. Again, you get a seemingly-odd juxtaposition of quirky/beautiful songs, only this time, the performances are switched. Let me explain.
'cosmic cosmetics' is a fun and quirky song. Aiko's vocals sound very restrained, very cool and competent. She's not going wild singing this song, just having fun and being rather cutesy.
On the c/w (again, a beautiful slow song) the vocals are free... not that she's going wild here, either, but by the end, there's eight or more layers of Aiko vocals, just killing you with beauty.
This isn't a case of 'if you can only afford *one* single...' BUY THIS! It's worth every penny or rupee that you'll spend for it. BUY THE G*DDAMNED SINGLE ALREADY! Lie, cheat, steal, pillage, and kill (if necessary). You *will* be able to afford it.
When this came out, I remember someone saying it 'sounds exactly like what I thought it would'. What the hell does that mean? Was that person so in tune with what Aiko was doing that when the time came to hear the single, he thought, 'I've already heard this.'? Now I suppose that if you're familiar with Aiko's work, and you know that the title is 'cosmic cosmetics', you could probably picture in your mind what it might sound like. But to write it off completely because it sorta matched your preconceptions, well...
If I ever find the person that said that, I will tie them up and force them to listen to the A-side for a week straight. It wouldn't be so bad, actually... it's a damn good song, one of my absolute favorites, Aiko or otherwise. I'm not just being objective - there's a real and tangible reason why this is one of the best.
Reason why: Nakata Yasutaka. Yeah, that's him, the guy who produces Perfume (YEAAAAHHHHH!) and also, a little outfit called 'capsule' (YEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!).
I don't know how they managed to wrangle him in to do this track and I really don't need to know. Guy's a friggin' genius when it comes to pop music. What's odd is how different this song is from his Perfume/capsule output. It's got his 'signature' all over it, to be sure... but I think that he approached it from a different angle, because he totally nails the 'Aiko sound'. If every one of Aiko's songs was top-of-the-heap, cream-of-the-crop (it's not a big stretch of the imagination), this guy (or someone with a similar sense) would have produced them. He got his vision across and at the same time put Aiko on a silver platter. This single made me into a Perfume/capsule fan, a die-hard one, in fact.
So are we clear? If these two songs aren't in your music collection, you don't have a collection yet, and I feel sorry for you. As a warning, it may sound exactly like what you thought... 'cuz if you're thinking, 'awesome', you're right.
If you can manage to get the limited edition, chances are that yours will come complete with Aiko's 'John Hancock'... like this:
It's $18.47, for cryin' out loud. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. (Never use that phrase in a business letter, it's presumptuous and it makes you sound like a screamin' idiot.)