Review Summary: Instead of breaking away from the innocent, whimsicalities of his past and “maturing,” Tokumaru embraces everything that makes Port Entropy sound like the soundtrack to a colorful children’s book.
It’s no secret that the world of music is growing increasingly smaller in scope as globalization bears down on culture, making the once-distant feel progressively closer. Screamo from Europe, mainstream rock from Down Under, music from across the ocean is no longer some unknown entity. In fact, through international tours, international PR, and sites like Sputnik, it’s not uncommon for foreigners to engage in the same musical cognizance, no matter what their country of origin. Don’t be mistaken, though; artists like Shugo Tokumaru still maintain a level of exoticism and foreignness that is as undeserved as it is enticing. The Japanese artist is truly an instrumental connoisseur, as evidenced by an expansive deftness in many instruments and an ability to layer and mash them together seamlessly. Well,
many instruments doesn’t quite do Shugo justice. While little is known about the artist, it’s widely believed that his workshop is filled with well over 100 instruments, not including his toys and non-traditional “instruments.” Tokumaru has fairly little recognition in the States, especially when the virtually undisputed quality of his work is taken into account. It’s difficult to find many modern pop artists as consistently heralded and respected as Shugo, and with good reason. With his last two releases,
Night Piece and
Exit, Tokumaru proves to be an adroit, talented artist. With rich textures galore, sharpened skills, and catchy pop melodies, the praise should be raining down for the prevalent, young, Japanese man. Though, be it his obscuring, jet-black hair that conceals his face, or be it the downsides of distance, Shugo hasn’t quite garnered the international, widespread respect he deserves.
His fourth LP is a continuation of his previous work more than it is a deviation. Rich pop music with flowery melodies and bouncy vocal lines are the patients of Shugo’s meticulous doctoring on
Port Entropy. His knack for creating sounds of innocence that erupt into a sunny potpourri has become so consistent by the advent of
Port Entropy, already, that it makes me wonder what’s giving Shugo a leg up on the competition. His natural capacity for crafting 3-minute ditties bursting with blissfulness is uncanny. The most apt examples on
Port Entropy are, without a doubt, “Rum Hee” and “Malerina,” the two catchiest of the bundle. The infectious melodies and dynamism are especially infectious, and Shugo always keeps the tracks grounded in a concise, simple pop-song structure.
Along with reiterating what he does best, Shugo breaks new ground on
Port Entropy. The softhearted, piano-ridden “Linne” reveals a more intimate side, while “Laminate” stretches the album’s pop barriers by adding a humming, post-rock aesthetic to the mix. Yet, the artist’s 2010 release is still undeniably
Shugo-like. This is most obvious in the childlike air floating lightly throughout
Port Entropy. Instead of breaking away from the innocent, whimsicalities of his past and “maturing,” Tokumaru embraces everything that makes
Port Entropy sound like the soundtrack to a colorful children’s book. The cover illustrates this aspect perfectly, so to speak, as well as “Lahaha,” with its lighthearted tune and ever-smiling vocals. Before, on
Night Piece especially, Shugo always sounded a bit bashful about these childish tendencies, and managed to balance them out with the right amount of melancholy. To call
Port Entropy a progression would be overlooking some of the album’s tiny flaws, like the monotony of Shugo’s ever-ebullient posture; but it
is pleasurable hearing Tokumaru sing along to the songs it sounds like he’s always wanted to sing. Plus, with the incredibly diverse array of instruments, layer-upon-layer of rich textures, and free-wheeling melodies abound, tiring of
Port Entropy should be the least of your worries.
Even if Shugo’s unbridled vivaciousness may seem a bit far-fetched, it’s undoubtedly sincere on
Port Entropy, which is another buoyant aspect keeping his sunny boat afloat. The fact that the entire album is sung in Japanese is of little importance when coupled with the undeniably cute and richly-crafted tunes- it only makes it more astounding that Shugo’s origin has hindered his popularity. On
Port Entropy you won’t find the array of emotions that Tokumaru displayed so eloquently on
Exit or
Night Piece, but you will find a little-known artist that’s hard at work sharpening his already-masterful skills on an effortless, light pop album... and grinning ear-to-ear all the while.
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