GAME was Perfume’s 1st studio album, even though it’s really their second album as the first was released as a compilation, or best of, album. It was released on April 16, 2008 and reached number 1 on the charts with 154,304 copies sold. This album is their very first number 1 on the charts, including albums and singles. In all this album has sold over 274,476+ copies. There are a grand total of seven new tracks on the album, five of which were released as singles.

Tracks:
1. Polyrhythm
2. plastic smile
3. GAME
4. Baby cruising Love
5. Chocolate Disco
6. Macaroni
7. Ceramic Girl
8. Take me Take me
9. Secret Secret
10. Butterfly
11. Twinkle Snow Powdery Snow
12. Puppy love

Review:
Polyrhythm, did someone say many rhythms? This song was released as the second single of the GAME Era. Like many of the songs during this period of their music, there’s a great deal of techno music. And it’s quite pleasant. I especially love the voice distortions in this song, it makes it memorable in a way or two. The fast music beats even sound good, gotta love those instrumentals and those fantastic vocals. The chorus is a bit repetitive but it sounds so good, and it’s so catchy. A great and surprising way to begin the album. Here is the full review of Polyrhythm.

plastic smile, the first new track. Immediately after you press play you can hear the distorted vocals sing in some of the cutest voices ever. The little electronic beats sound so cute, and almost baby like because of the simplicity. The music is somewhat fast, and the vocals are actually great. The one problem is that sometimes during the song you can’t hear the vocals as well, because of the loud techno music. It’s hard to tell where the chorus is in the song, but you can find it. Again it’s very repetitive but it’s so addictive and that’s what makes it so good. A great new track for the album.

GAME, the title that gives its name to the album. Heavy, and I mean heavy techno/electronic beats open up this song. The beats seem almost aggressive, which isn’t bad necessarily. Perfume doesn’t begin to sing until the 42 sec mark, and when they do it’s almost unheard. With the music playing and thumping it’s somewhat hard to hear them, and that’s a bit issue for me. But the parts I can hear are fantastic for the most part. And I like the chorus where they sing “Play the GAME” it’s very repetitive and yet it’s so catchy and addicting. I do like this song, but it’s not what I was expecting, still great though.

Baby cruising Love, winter happiness. This song was released as the last single of the GAME Era, along with Macaroni. Instead of a long instrumental to open up the song, the vocals begin immediately. Afterwards that great up-beat winter electronic music begins to play. The chorus here was pretty catchy, especially the distorted English vocals. The verses were a little bland, but it’s almost expected, what’s really important is the chorus. Still I almost wish this song was just a little better, oh well, still not bad.

Chocolate Disco, electronica paradise. This song, along with another, began the GAME Era. At this time there music was getting more accepted and their popularity was rising. It didn’t do that great on the charts but don’t let that stop you from listening to this little piece of heaven. The words “Chocolate Disco” open up the song and from there that infamous techno music plays. The chorus was fairly catchy, but the vocals were the best, and they sounded to CUTE! Almost stereotypical of Japanese girls, that speak only Japanese, singing English, no offense to anyone. Cute, pop, and sugary! For the full review of Chocolate Disco, click here.

Macaroni, the other winter track. Now despite this being released with Baby cruising Love, I really didn’t like it that much. It seemed so laid back, which isn’t a problem in most cases, but here is just didn’t fit. I did like the vocals, but with the music they just didn’t go together, at all. This is one of my least favorite tracks on the album, I’ll leave it at that.

Ceramic Girl, a pop & techno fusion. The song begins with “Celamic Girl” and it sounds pretty good. Their vocals are quite fast, I guess it’s so that they can keep up with the music, which is also pretty fast. The verses seem a little bland and dull but it’s to be expected. The chorus is the best part in the song. It moves fast, and distorted vocals sound fantastic, and most importantly it’s so catchy, especially with that “Celamic Girl” and remember that r’s can be pronounced like l’s so that’s what they’re singing. I found the song overall to be very catchy and so addictive.

Take me Take me, slow techno. Music that’s very similar to Baby cruising Love opens up this song. Then some beeps start and from there it takes a different turn. The first vocals don’t actually begin to till about the minute point, and from there it’s English and Japanese. Here the distorted vocals don’t sound as cute as some of the songs, and therefore it’s almost generic. Now don’t get me wrong it’s very different but at some points it’s just so ordinary. I do like how they drag out “Tonight” it’s very good on their parts. The verses were so-so, a bit mediocre. But sadly the chorus wasn’t that much better either. It sounded all right but that was about it, it wasn’t breathtaking or WOW, just ok. You’re better off listening to the next track.

Secret Secret, sweet and sugary with techno pop. La la opens up this song, followed by some maracas and then some, then a quite second then it repeats. At about the 28 sec point the music changes into more techno pop, very similar to Ceramic Girl. The verses seem to go by so quickly, and they’re even catchy to an extent. The chorus is the best part of the song as many might have expected. Again those lovely distorted vocals sound so cherry and so happy, you can’t help but love them. This has to be the best new song on the album, it’s about as good as some of the singles that they’ve released.

Butterfly, mystical dance electronica. Besides being the longest song on the album it’s very mystical in a way, in a modernistic way. The sounds of a forest, birds chirping and all, open up the song, followed by some techno beats and that mystical modern music. You can also hear “Butterfly” during all of this music until 50 sec of so and then the real vocals get started, which is a little over a minute long. Again the vocals are distorted a bit, but that’s not so bad. The one major problem is when you can’t hear them that well as the music is a little too loud. And the fact that it was hard to tell the chorus from the verses. But they sounded pretty good, and as a result I actually liked this song.

Twinkle Snow Powdery Snow, cute up-beatness! This song was released along with Chocolate Disco as the first single in the Era. Some very up-beat, thumping techno/dance music opens up the song, followed by those ever so cute distorted vocals. The verses are all right but it’s the chorus yet again that’s so memorable. It uses a good amount of English, mostly the title words, and then the rest are Japanese. It’s pretty catchy in a way, but it’s just so up-beat and it sounds pretty happy. Click here for the full review of Twinkle Snow Powdery Snow.

Puppy love, slow techno with acoustic flare. This final track features some acoustics, almost unheard of from a techno/electronica group. The full vocals don’t begin until after the 28 sec point, and from there it gets a little boring. Well, it was initially boring but it kept getting better as the song progressed. The vocals started to sound better and the music kept playing faster and faster. The chorus was surprisingly good and the verses weren’t that terrible either. A nice way to end their first studio album.

Overall Review:GAME was a techno utopia with some impressive and spectacular songs. I loved how there was a general overall theme to the music, something rare in most pop groups these days. I was blown away by a lot of the new tracks and I loved the tracks from the singles. The album was just really enjoyable, a treat for the ears. A memorable and superb first studio album.

Final Grade: 97

Baby cruising Love / Macaroni was Perfume’s 11th single. It was released on January 16, 2008 and reached number 3 on the charts with 34,550 copies sold. In all this single has sold over 63,377+ copies, making it their best selling and highest chart-topping single to date. And it is their first double A-Side single. But, mostly, this is their last single in the GAME Era.

Tracks:
1. Baby cruising Love
2. Macaroni
3. Baby cruising Love (Instrumental)
4. Macaroni (Instrumental)

Review:
Baby cruising Love, the fast winter electronica. Those cute sounding distorted voices open up the song followed by the keyboard, and that so so good techno music. The beats here are yet again so catchy, and the vocals here sound great. And it seems like a first, but I can actually hear their voices without a distortion, I think, but anyway it sounds great. The chorus here is very catchy, especially with the distortions and how they say “Baby cruising Love.” It sounds even better when they drag it out a little after the half way point in the song. Again we have another wonderful song.

Macaroni, the slow easy tune. This song moves slowly compared to their previous song but it’s a refreshing change for once. Some drums along with some other instrumentals open up the song, and about 25 seconds later you can here some vocals. But, change only happens so often, and thus their voices are still distorted. The chorus here moves slowly, but it’s still catchy, I blame it on the vocals. It’s definitely the weaker of the A-Sides, but it’s still good.

Overall Review: Baby cruising Love / Macaroni was a winter wonderland, with some techno fun. The title tracks were great and I just loved how they were different, and yet they still made a great single. The first A-Side was better, and more Perfume, especially with all the fast paced music and distortions. The second track wasn’t as good but it’s still a worthy song from Perfume. An astonishing way to end the GAME Era.

Final Grade: 94A-

Polyrhythm was Perfume’s 10th single. It was released on Septermber 12, 2007 and reached number 7 on the charts with 17,492 copies sold. In all this single has sold over 61,501+ copies. This was also Perfume’s first top 10 charting single. The title track was used as the NHK Kankyou Recycle Campaign song. This single was released in CD and CD+DVD edition. This is also the second single in the GAME Era.

Tracks:
1. Polyrhythm
2. SEVENTH HEAVEN
3. Polyrhythm -extra short edit-
4. Polyrhythm ~Original Instrumental~
5. SEVENTH HEAVEN ~Original Instrumental~

Review:
Polyrhythm, many rhythms? Now just don’t think that the description means this song has many rhythms. I used those words because the that’s what the title would mean, assuming I know my Latin, it’s literally Many Rhythms. Anyway, with that being said, let’s get to the review. Again that heavy techno music opens up along with Perfume’s distorted vocals, followed by some addictive beats. At the 30 sec mark they begin the chorus and it sounds so magnificent. It’s so up-beat and so so infectious, I just loved the vocals and the overall mood. In this song they just sound so happy, and the music makes it even better. That up-beat techno music really makes the song. I loved the verses here, even though at some points it was hard to distinguish between it and the chorus. Another great song for Perfume

SEVENTH HEAVEN, the lonesome B-Side. This song, to date, is only featured on this single and not their newest album. A beautiful piano solo opens up the song, followed by those infamous distorted voices. Shortly the piano is joined by that familiar dance/techno music. Then the piano ceases to play and that techno music takes over, and Perfume can be heard singing just a little. The first verse then begins, it’s very cute sounding and with the beats it sounds so laid-back. And then the chorus comes again. And I really love the vocals, especially during the high notes, I guess it’s that distortion that makes it sound so good. The way they pronounce Seventh Heave sounds so great, the best part of the song. Too bad it wasn’t added to the album.

Polyrhythm -extra short edit-, it’s all in the name. This version is just a shortened version of Polyrhythm. Nothing has changed as far as the vocals go, it’s just the length of the music. I must say that I like this version a little bit better than the original, it’s shorted and more compact than the original. Not a bad mix, or edit I guess.

Overall Review: Polyrhythm was many things. Mostly dance and techno all rolled into one compact single. I loved the vocals and the distortions, although it does make it hard to judge them on vocal talent, but we can assume they’re great singers. The whole feel of the single was fantastic and so outstanding. It’s really an easy listen. Pure dance and club fun, rolled into one (I’m so good a rhyming)!

Final Grade: 95A

Fan Service (sweet) was Perfume’s 4th major single, but for review purposes I will just put 9th single. It was released on February 14, 2007 and it reached number 31 on the charts. I don’t know how much it’s sold in total but it’s safe to say it’s not as high as their newest single. This single was released in CD and DVD editions. Nakata Yasutaka, a producer and half the duo of capsule, created an extra mix which was featured on a 7″ analog. This is also the first single in the GAME Era, all other singles were released in a compilation album, that has now started to re-chart.

Tracks:
1. Chocolate Disco
2. Twinkle Snow Powdery Snow

Review:
Chocolate Disco, techno paradise. Now the group was originally a pop/idol group but after Yasutaka started producing their music them became more techno and electronica oriented. So one of the first things you’ll notice is voice distortions, somewhat heavy at that. Some synth/techno music begins with some followed by the words Chocolate Disco, in some of the cutest voices ever. They sound so happy, and the music is just so up-beat. The beats are very techno and synth oriented, and the music is somewhat dance sounding. The vocals sound really cute, but you can’t really judge their talent since you can’t really hear their real voices. The chorus is very catchy, no matter how short it seems. The verses could be better, but I still love it so much. You can’t help but feel so happy when you listen to this song.

Twinkle Snow Powdery Snow, more up-beatness than before. This song begins with some of that techno music, but this time it sounds a little heavier and a little better. Next the vocals begin and that great work that Yasutaka has done shows. Again the chorus here is really great, it sounds the same sometimes when compared to other songs but it just sounds so great. Again, I really like the vocals, even if you can’t understand them, they still sound great. A great song for sure.

Overall Review: Fan Service (sweet) was techno supremacy. Till this point I had never heard a Japanese techno group this good, well I haven’t listened to many but you get the point. This girls are so new, in terms of artists again they’ve been singing since 2004, really 2002 when they released their first single but 03/04 is when they were noticed. I just find this music so new and a great change from ordinary. I do wish that the verses were longer and that they sounded a little more diverse, but overall they were wonderful. I feel like I’m over using refreshing but this is one of those singles. What a fantastic beginning for GAME.

Final Grade: 97A