[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbPvGXJOw0I&hl=en_US&fs=1&]
Sometimes an idea comes along that’s so perfect from the get-go thinking it over seems ridiculous. Just do it, if I can get my Nike on for a sec. Taking hyper-catchy trio Perfume…who routinely deliver amazing choruses…and letting them cover The Cardigan’s “Lovefool”…which boasts one of the all-time catchiest choruses…falls into one of those “can’t delay” situations. Thank you Pepsi, for greenlighting this.
Predictably, Perfume plus that chorus equals head-swirling goodness. Sped up just a little, everything that made The Cardigans’ original stays intact, the only truly radical change being Perfume’s digitally manipulated vocals which, like in most of the group’s prior songs, works well given the manic electroinc-heavy backdrop. And hey, here’s an upset for ya…the absolute best vocal moment on this Pepsi Nex-ed take comes on the “love me love me” and “leave me leave me” part of the chorus, which to my ear (which has been wrong before, I admit it) remains untouched. So Perfume nail the chorus, but if the video below featuring the full song is legit, the verses suffer a bit. By which I mean, the verses have been removed completely and replaced with the electro-house/blog house/what-the-hell-do-you-call-this-stuff house that Perfume and producer Yasutaka Nakata sometimes mine to lackluster results. Guys, you kill at dance-pop don’t try to weasel your way onto an Ed Banger compilation. Still, “Lovefool” is all about the sickeningly sweet chorus, and Perfume manage to keep that intact while also adding their personal style to it. Plus they get some of that sweet Pepsi pay in the process.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lvDzBfTWHo&hl=en_US&fs=1&]