Nice [Enhanced]

Puffy Amiyumi | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 12, 2003)
• Original Release Date: 2003
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Label: Bar/None Records
• ASIN: B0000AGWFU
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #131,706 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Planet Tokyo

2. Tokyo Nights

3. Angel of Love

4. Sayonara

5. Invisible Tomorrow

6. Thank You

7. Long Beach Nightmare

8. Your Love Is a Drug

9. K2G

10. Shiawase (Happiness)

11. (Urei)

12. Teen Titans Theme

13. Red Swing

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't pigeonhole Puffy as "J-pop" - this album rocks., August 23, 2005

By 

J. Williams (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nice (Audio CD)

First off, don't be scared off by the "J-pop" label people keep attaching to this band here. Puffy's music has no relation whatsoever to popular Japanese singers like Utada Hikaru, Ayumi Hamasaki or Misia, which have more in common with their American equivalents Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera (to give you a comparison you'd probably be familiar with). Pigeon-holing Puffy into this category really does a great band a serious disservice.

Puffy is hard to categorize, but they call themselves a rock band. But don't call them "J-rock" either - their music these days is mostly written by Jellyfish veteran Andy Sturmer, who is also their mentor (along with Tamio Okuda). It has a decidedly western sound to it, which makes the juxtaposition with their mostly Japanese vocals just that much more striking. (Despite their appearance, Ami and Yumi are both also older and more experienced than most of their Japanese contemporaries - both girls are now in their thirties.)

It's this blend of east meets west and this mish-mash of styles and influences that make them as interesting and as listenable as they are. Their music is immediately appealing the first time you hear it, and it only gets better from there.

"Nice" is, in fact, an album probably more tuned to American tastes than Japanese. It was released after their American debut and is a much harder, heavier album than any they've released previously. That's not to say all the songs are that way, but the overall effect is a sort of folk/pop/rock/punk fusion that leans heavier towards punk than their previous efforts. "Urei", for example, is a particularly loud and noisy song, but with such a powerful and (dare I say it) beautifully melodic tune that it will be difficult to get it out of your head once it's in there.

Several of the album's songs are instant Puffy classics, including the hard rocking "Planet Tokyo" that comes off as a true anthem (also presented in its original Japanese as "Red Swing"); "Invisible Tomorrow", the Japanese version of "Friends Forever" (with a different vocal arrangement - your taste may vary); and the ska-influenced "K2G". In fact, there's really not a bad song on the album; I could list almost every song as a potential highlight.

Since their Japanese debut nearly 10 years ago, Puffy has been marching steadily towards this heavier sound, and when I saw them live just a few nights ago in New York, you'd have been forgiven if you didn't think they were an outright punk band. Some people may prefer the new image to the old, some may feel the opposite, but all of their music is great and all of their music is stamped with their unique personality. When all is said and done, though, "Nice" does stand as one of their best works.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Japan's best kept secret, September 13, 2003

By 

Erica Anderson (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nice (Audio CD)

I have been a fan of Puffy AmiYumi for two-three years now. "Fever Fever" was my first introduction to the Japanese power pop duo because I had a friend who talked incessantly about them to a point where I had to check them out. I have been an enormous fan of the group since "Fever Fever". I may not understand Japanese but I sure know a good hook when I hear one. Puffy AmiYumi puts out some of the catchiest and infectious pop songs since the days of ABBA. I was more than annoyed when that idiot P. Diddy threatened to sue the duo for using the name "Puffy", yeah like he is still going by that name today. I was thrilled when their music started to enter the US market because I paid an arm and a leg for import versions of their albums. Their last album "Illustrated History" was basically a compilation for the US listeners, and "Spike" was the US version of the Japanese album (which I own both versions). I recently came across "Nice" in the used cd bins and immediately snatched it up. The cd artwork is a take off on the infamous bedroom scene with John Lennon & Yoko Ono. Once again, I was not disappointed with the new music by my favorite J-pop duo. It is really difficult to categorize Puffy AmiYumi's music. Their music is a mixture of pop, rock, lounge, ska, country, basically everything but the kitchen sink theory. Most of the songs are sung in Japanese however the first track "Planet Tokyo" is sung in english which is always interesting to hear Ami and Yumi sing to. I particularly enjoyed songs like "Tokyo Nights" and "Angel of Love". They are incredibly catchy thanks to ex-Jellyfish, power pop genius Andy Sturmer. "Nice" definitely fits the bill when it comes to describing the album's content. Puffy AmiYumi can do no wrong with this fan.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LOVE IT!!!, June 18, 2005

By 

Billy "Mr. Tex" (Celeste, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nice (Audio CD)

See, I'm a huge fan of everything Japanese and animé, so of course, I love this CD. I just bought it today and haven't listened to anything else.

The tracks that really stand out to me are:

Planet Tokyo
Angel of Love
Invisible Tomorrow (I love the ska influence in part of the music)
Your Love is a Drug
K2G (LOVE LOVE LOVE the ska sound with the Japanese lyrics)
Shiawase(Happiness)
Urei
Teen Titans Theme (love the B-52's-style sound)
Red Swing

Hell, I love the whole CD. What got me interested in this group was the show 'Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi' on Cartoon Network.

I recommend this group to everyone.