On his previous albums, Japanese multi-instrumentalist Shugo Tokumaru had brilliantly showcased his ability to push the boundaries of what pop music can be — crafting infinitely rewarding songs built on layers upon layers of sounds produced by instruments both familiar and unique.
On his new album TOSS (to be released on April 28th via Polyvinyl Records), Tokumaru started to take the fragments others had recorded for him and began lining up the short phrases and riffs, repeatedly combining and substituting the arrangements as if he was working on a musical puzzle.
This complicated process cannot be discerned from new song “Hikageno” which comes across as disarmingly simple albeit dangerously infectious – which raises expectations for the upcoming new album.
Though much more time-consuming than his original vision, the songs on TOSS are all testaments to Tokumaru’s innate understanding of how to craft a piece of music that becomes much greater than the sum of its parts.
Listen:
Pre-order: Amazon | iTunes
… still there’s more …