I've been posting quite a few cover versions in recent weeks. Here are two more from Japan.



I am aware of my tendency to hyperbolise but Puffy are, in my opinion, the world's greatest ever pop group. Ten years of chart-domination in the ever-changing landscape of Japanese pop is rare enough but Onuki Ami and Yoshimura Yumi have also achieved the remarkable feat of picking up lavish praise from the US indie press while starring in their own animated adventures on The Cartoon Network. I'd like to see Sonic Youth try to top that.

I'm sure there are people out there writing doctoral theses about the groups's conceptual perfection, nothing i could say in a paragraph could possibly do them justice. I hope it's enough to point out that under the guidance of producers like Tamio Okuda and ex-Jellyfish drummer Andy Sturmer they've been responsible for some of the most beautiful, life-affirming music the planet has ever known. Every single album, from 1996's AmiYumi onwards has been a magnificent distillation of everything that's wonderful about pop. At the very least, no pop fan should be without Spike, Fever*Fever and Nice.

Turn It Into Love is a cover of the Japanese group WINK's version of the Kylie Minogue classic. It's taken from their Hit Parade album.

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Puffy - Turn It Into Love



Max aren't in the same league but their Emotional History is an enjoyable slice of J-Pop by numbers. In the absence of solid information about where they got their name, i've always assumed it's meant to be a tribute to Avex Records boss and super-producer Max Matsuura. This is their excellent cover of a huge hit by an internationally famous American pop group. I'll leave the identity a surprise though.





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Max - ??????