Unreal

On their debut album, Japanese power poppers Flumpool open with a bang, starting out with one of their major hits, "Hana ni Nare." Lead singer Ryuuta belts out the song in a relatively thin voice, wavering almost to the point of seeming intentional. The guitars push him forward the whole way, driving the song where it needs to go, hitting the right chords, touching on the standard progressions for their pure pop creations. The energy, and Ryuuta's affections, never drop for the rest of the album's course. Each piece is a carefully crafted bit of aural pop sensation, following all of the hitmaking rules to the letter. While the forms are essentially never surprising as a result, they get a touch of familiarity in their progression, hitting a different nerve of enjoyment. All pieces are performed perfectly, touched and sung to their fullest. The album is a bit short (closer to the Japanese mini-albums that bands often put out between full-length items), but packed to the brim. Nothing groundbreaking, but endlessly catchy and well-played all around.