Kayo Aiko's Eleventh Single

...was released on - what? Yeah, I skipped 9 and 10, I'll come back to those. This is MY site, I'll do what I want!



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.)

SCORE!!!

Marking a record seven posts in one month, meanwhile providing some Aiko information.  I finally figured out something that's been bugging the crap out of me since the first time I heard this song (almost three years ago).

At the start of 'Fantasy', Aiko sings something I presumed was English, because I never knew what she said.  Looking back at my data, I noticed that the song was originally done by Virginelle.  Lo and behold, the first couplets in Aiko's version of 'Fantasy' are from the chorus of the original song. Listen to it here.

Aiko sings (are you ready for this?):

"Carry on too many times for love / I only played as ever with your heart

I don't know, it's like a fantasy / You're only mine, oh what a melody"

Listen to Aiko again, and that's exactly what she's saying.  This is the most English she's ever sung on record.  I know, it doesn't make a lot of sense, and I know, it's hard to understand Aiko when she sings in 'Engrish'.  But I finally figured out what she's singing!  And now you can sing along, too.

Then, a few minutes later I discovered this little tidbit.  Aiko sits in a cafe during the Aishite ne Motto video, and this same place is the setting for a Capsule video.  Capsule was produced by the same guy who produces Perfume, and also did 'cosmic cosmetics'.  Observe:

New 'New Year's resolution': acquire all the Capsule music ever made. This stuff is catchy as hell!

A Big Plug for Perfume

If I was to go back in time about ten years to tell my former punk-rock self that my new favorite music is Japanese techno-pop, I might catch a bit of flak.  On the other hand, the old me might be intrigued by the idea, and demand to listen to it.  As the music I love now would not have been made at that point, it might cause a rip in the time-space continuum and destroy the world.

Since I can't be a time-traveler, I don't spend too much time worrying about destroying my old habits.  Rather, I'm spending most of my time designing speakers that are 100 feet in diameter so I can blast the new Perfume record "GAME" and introduce everyone on the continent to its genius.

I first became aware of Perfume after their producer Nakata Yasutaka worked with Ms. Kayo Aiko for her 'cosmic cosmetics' single.  

Their style is almost always a mix of candy-pop and hard techno.  It didn't take me long to buy a few of their records, namely "Complete Best" and "Fan Service - Sweet", but I waited a long time to receive "Complete Best" because it was selling like crazy all over the world.  Despite having never been to Japan, my taste has matched theirs in the past couple of years.

Perfume put out a couple more singles, "Polyrhythm" and "Baby Cruisin' Love" before they released their second record, which is "GAME".  After I thoroughly exhausted the "Complete Best" CD and previewing the new singles, I thought that they may have reached their creative peak.  Everything after seemed to sound the same to me, and my opinion was that they were releasing the same song again and again, only with new words to fill the chorus section.  

So I held off on buying "GAME";  what a BIG mistake that was.  One listen and I've become convinced that this is one of the best albums ever made.  Every track is good, but the next track is even better!  Again, the Japanese share my sentiments:  the album and the follow-up single "love the world" both reached #1 over the summer.

I can't think of a group more deserving of such success.  Though I've become used to it over time, the first listening of "Electro-World" was an unforgettable experience.  It sounded as if a Nintendo had exploded, joined the Beatles, and channeled the spirit of 'Thriller'-era Michael Jackson.  In other words, an untouchable electronic hit!

It's notable and fitting that the girls are from Hiroshima.  Some 60 years after we caused unprecedented devastation to their future home, Nocchi, Kashiyuka, and A-chan rise from the ashes and show the world how music is supposed to be made.  The usual question of 'who is your favorite?' does not come into play;  to choose one is to eliminate two other perfectly capable (and desirable) girls from the wota repertoire.  They're like the Borg.

But, like most girl-groups, they depend largely on their producer who deserves the musical equivalent of the Nobel Prize for coming up with this stuff.  I might be more inclined to go clubbing if they'd play Perfume songs at a deafening volume around here but, sadly, they don't. I'm so tempted to go sneak a song in, just to wake everyone up.

But for now, it's back to work on those giant speakers.