Tofu Records
2006
Splurge
About This Album
Puffy AmiYumi spent their first eight years as huge stars in Japan but hidden treasures in the States. The success of their cartoon show on Nickelodeon beginning in 2004 changed that, and now they are big in the U.S., too. The fact that they are best known for a cartoon based very loosely on their lives (some would say too loosely) might lead die-hard Puffy fans to worry about the music. Would they change their sound to capitalize on their preteen fan base or would they crank out another genre-hopping, Technicolor pop/rock gem like 2003's Nice or 2001's Spike? Despite the reassuring continued presence of longtime Puffy producers Andy Sturmer and Tamio Okuda, the first track might have these fans worrying a bit, since "Call Me What You Like" -- written by Butch Walker (best known as Avril Lavigne's producer, though not of her hits) -- is a distressingly shallow and generic rocker complete with references to text messaging, hair coloring, club hopping, and unwarranted slams on country, hip-hop, and soul music. It seems so un-Puffy, so negative and crass, that the urge to write the record off instantly is very strong. Certainly, Puffy have never been anything less than slickly produced commercial pop, but they have always been so joyous, smart, and fun that their origins are easily overlooked.
Track List (try tracks 1,2 and 3)

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