In honor of Kis-My-Ft2’s complete videography being uploaded to YouTube (in edited form, of course…), I can’t resist writing about each single. To put this in context for Bias List readers, Kis-My-Ft2 (or Kisumai, as they’re often known) are my J-pop version of Infinite. That’s how much I love them and their discography.

Yet, I rarely write about them because finding online links to their music was so hard… until now!

AAO (2015)

Does anyone know if “AAO” is meant to stand for something? I doubt whether Kisumai are singing about the American Academy of Ophthalmology! But whether this is a sneaky acronym or simply a pleasant exclamation, AAO is a bop.

The song casts a light, groove-driven sound that hadn’t really appeared on a Kisumai single before now. For those of you planning a trip to the roller rink (you know who you are!), this had better be part of the soundtrack. In fact, despite being released in 2015, the disco-esque arrangement feels right in line with today’s retro trends. I love the handclap percussion, the bright synth squiggles and the earworm melody that just glides over the instrumental. It all feels so effortless. Even better is the rapped bridge, which proves you can switch performance styles without sacrificing the momentum of a track. It’s fun, a little silly and super groovy.

The music video presents a simple idea done very well. Individual scenes are stitched together in a repetitive collage, with the same clips spliced to craft a visual that literally matches the rhythm of the track. It’s a cool new concept for the group and spotlights AAO’s fun, simple choreography.