Puffypipoyama Live TV Performance and PV

Here is a live version of Puffy's new song Puffypipoyama.

Using japanwebproxy.com you can view the PV here.

Not a great live performance, but given the nature of Puffypipoyama itself that does not really bother me.  Some songs, even great ones, do not translate well live.  The band being there to faux play along is even more rediculous than normal "live" Japanese TV show performances.

After watching the PV itself, it is fairly entertaining on a visual level.  Puffypipoyama is not good, at best it is derivative of Datsu Dystopia.  If an album of songs like either are on the docket for Puffy's next release it really makes me question the direction Puffy is taking.

Is Puffy trying to win new fans by changing their sound?

Is Puffy following a trend in the Japanese music scene?

The just following orders from the distributor?

Valid questions... but of course there are probably no good answers.

That said, Puffypipoyama is better than Wake Up, Make Up, which I realize is a low bar.

Enter Warner Music Japan Track List & More Info For Puffypipoyama

More info for Puffypipoyama, which is being released by Warner Music Japan.  

OK I have done some digging thanks to the folks on Puffy's FB page.  Puffy is still part of SMA, but for reasons I am trying to understand the publisher/distributer (i assumed should be Sony) can be different. 

For example Rolly is party of SMA but his release this year was on King Records.  So maybe artist representation is different than distributor.  If so, then it is simply two business owned by Sony but not necessarily married...

I have not had any luck other than validating Puffy now has a page on WMJ's site and Sony Music Artists tgat are uodated but not Sony Music Japan.  So go figure... When I figure out how this works I'll share that info.

So if this means Puffy has parted ways with Sony after 19 years as a distributor, that seems sad.

Here is the track list for Puffypipoyama;


     1.Puffypipoyama     2.COLORFUL WAVE SURFERS      3.COCO Hawaii　     4.Puffypipoyama　-instrumental-     5.COLORFUL WAVE SURFERS　-instrumental-     6.COCO Hawaii　-instrumental-


The single will have a regular version (1204 yen) and deluxe version (4167 yen).  Same tracks, the difference will be the deluxe comes with a Madonna original t-shirt.*  

The Song COCO Hawaii, I thought was new, but it was the theme for the TV show In Love with Hawaii back in June.  Which I totally missed...

* I'll probably go with the regular, as basing past experience with clothes from Japan I'll look like the Staypuft Marshmallow Man

New Single "Puffy-pipo Mountain"

New Single "Puffy-pipo Mountain" is due out November 18, 2015.

Skimming the Puffy Facebook group, it looks like they shot the PV on 10/5, not sure how many days but seems like the less involved videos only take a day or two.

What does this mean?  The most important thing is that there is new material out there and it comes right on the back of Colorful Wave Surfers which seems very aggressive.  Why so close together?  My best guess is that maybe this is a ramping up for a new Puffy album at some point in support of their 20th anniversary.  Counting "Pafipio Mountain" there are seven singles to build an album off of.  Assuming all the singles since those for Thank You were released make the cut (which I doubt, but a b-side and tribute could be added in...), new material would be sparse.  That is not uncommon with many Japanese bands front loading with singles for an album (Judy And Mary's Warp being a great example).

I will be curious as to what sound the single has, I would be comfortable if it is something like Colorful Wave Surfers which was recognizably Puffy.  

Anyways, great news and hopefully the trend line for good singles continues.

H/T to my friend Emi-chan for a quick translation and confirming it is a made up word.
P.S.  My journey with other Japanese bands is to a point now where I may spin off another blog or expand this one... but if you are looking for something different MinMin and her former band Chocolate Chip Cookies are really good.