Meet PERFUME, our official Japanese Electro-pop group!!

[_Dr. Shades]

Imagine my delight to find a Shades criticism of Perfume! Holy large crap chunks! They are human to him after all!

Oh, I've expressed reservations before. For better or for worse, due to contractual obligations their music is 100% dependent on their songwriter / producer--who consists of a single guy only. They have expressed their desire to try their hand at writing some of their own songs and perhaps music, but he has shot them down every time because he loses money if he's not the sole contributor.

So, his unique vision has made their music great and set them apart from the mass-produced cookie-cutter artificially fabricated idol groups, but it's a double-edged sword, 'cause every time he swings and misses they are the ones who have to own it and play along anyway just the same as they do when he hits the home runs.

But the girls themselves are perfect, however. ;-)

To end on a lighter note, here's an EXTREMELY early version of them performing "Jenny's in a Bad Mood," most likely when they were still in school: Jenny's in a Bad Mood Look for Nocchi's hat and her funny reaction thereunto in the last few seconds.

[_Dr. Shades]

[_Dr. Shades]

Hollywood Life, an online magazine, did a very positive interview with our official J-pop band. It's in English, so we can all enjoy it:

• Perfume: J-Pop Band That Made History At Coachella Reveal Favorite Songs On New ‘PCubed’ Album

[_Dr. Shades]

[_Dr. Shades]

Our favorite--and official--Japanese Electro-pop group granted an interview to Refinery 29 magazine. The interview turned out to be quite positive, but that's no real surprise, considering it's Perfume. They discuss their image, their interaction with and incorporation of technology, how their aspirations have changed over the years, their relationships with each other, and other things. See:

Perfume, The Biggest Girl Group in Japan, Can See The Future

[_Dr. Shades]

'Tis the season! As we're all well aware, Christmas will be upon us this week. Amid the hustle and bustle of filling all those lists--or pointing-and-clicking, if online shopping is more your thing--you've hopefully heard much delightful Christmas music along the way.

This Yuletide also marks the six-year anniversary of when the members of our favorite--and official--Japanese electro-pop act, "Perfume," made their triumphant return to the Tokyo Dome after a little over a three-year absence. (They have since returned once or twice and will perform there again this coming February.) The fact that it was Christmas wasn't lost on them, so they dressed appropriately for one segment and tossed gifts into the crowd whilst singing. (What exactly those gifts were, I still haven't figured out, but who's going to turn up his or her nose at a gift from these three?)

So, let's all allow Perfume to bring us even more Christmas spirit by soaking in the joy and festivities encapsulated in the following YouTube video!

• It's a PERFUME Christmas!

By way of trivia, this particular concert gave us quite a few videos from the original lists of this thread. I counted no less than six--yes, SIX--different costumes they wore during its course, meaning they underwent costume changes a full five times during the show itself. What a pain! But at the same time, what dedication to their craft! If the above link got you at all fired up for more, here's a rewind to the epic start of that concert. When I say "epic," you'll see what I mean:

• Enter the Sphere, Tokyo Dome, Christmas 2013

[_Dr. Shades]

[_Dr. Shades]

Dear Perfumaniacs,

Merry Christmas to you all! V Magazine ran a very complimentary story on our favorite J-Pop group, Perfume. I'm guessing it's in the "gonzo journalism" variety, because the author is telling us her experience in and around the band. It includes a slideshow featuring not only the members but the fans in line as well. Enjoy:

Backstage with Japanese Pop Trio Perfume at REFRAME 2019

[_Dr. Shades]

Dear haters,

In spite of my best efforts, some of you have rebelled and chosen to walk down the dark and joyless path of hating on Perfume, the official Japanese electro-pop group of MormonDiscussions.com. This is apparently because you only glanced at the surface and falsely concluded that they were nothing more than a teeny-bopper, bubble-gum outfit.

Well, guess what? You're about to be proven wrong. Beginning last year, they began performing, uh, performances titled "Reframe." These weren't typical concerts per se but were expositions that showcased the darker, edgier, and more artistic side of Perfume. Rather than being performed in front of legions of adoring fans, they took place in modest theaters in front of the hoity-toity, artsy-fartsy crowds. The PBS-style audiences, if you will.

The main thrust was/is to seamlessly fuse their dance and song prowess with the most cutting-edge technology in existence to create one great whole; even the physical stage itself becomes part of the show. So successful was the idea that they revived it in 2019 as well.

So, purge your mind of your baseless prejudices and feast your eyes on what amounts to Perfume for adults, then see if you don't reconsider your former, incorrect anti-Perfume biases. It's like a ballet of three infused with next-generation technology:

• Perfume x Technology presents REFRAME (10-26-2019)

If you're not willing to watch the entire hour and 15 minute performance, then I recommend fast-forwarding to the 52:10 mark, wherein they cleverly utilize multi-angle intersecting lasers to create "floating faeries" of light that follow their hands during the song. My jaw dropped when I beheld the effect.

Hopefully this will finally prove to you, at long last, that there's a multi-dimensional depth to the entire Perfume experience at which you didn't look closely enough to notice. Truly, our three performers are more than up to the task.

But if that's not enough, fast-forward again to the 71:33 spot. It proves that there's much more depth to this musical group than you ever thought to give them credit for.

[_Some Schmo]

Shades, it's not like I'm going out of my way to dislike them. I don't hate them on purpose to spite you. I could no more force myself to like them than I could force myself to believe in a god, or enjoy any of the Real Housewives series.

In other words, I'm just not into loud, shallow crap. Sorry man.

And to save you from asking, yes, I checked out some of the video, including the lighting effect you talked about. I can totally imagine myself at that show thinking, "How much longer? Why did I let Shades drag me here? I could be watching a Pacino film or something right now..."

I'll say, I'm glad you derive enjoyment from them. That's great. Unfortunately, I don't get the same pleasure from it. Some people just enjoy pain more than others, that's all. It's not that big a deal.