An album that refuses to be contained.
capsule is an electronic music duo that has been creating music aimed at getting bodies moving for roughly ten years now. Consisting of vocalist Koshijima Toshiko and musician/producer/DJ/contemode label founder Nakata Yasutaka, capsule released their first album in 2001 and has hardly slowed down since. Sugarless GiRL is capsule's first offering of 2007, having been released earlier in the year, and is so far their only one, although Nakata Yasutaka will be working with Avex's Suzuki Ami on her single to be released next month.
Boasting ten tracks total, the first off of Sugarless GiRL is the aptly titled Welcome to my world which runs just under fifteen seconds in length as it leads the listener into Starry Sky. With a quick and immediate beat, and plenty of synthesizers, this tune is destined to be the type heard beneath the flashing lights of a club. The vocals are a touch generic, lost beneath the filters in this tune but for a song that is pure dance-floor fun, one can't really demand too much. REALiTY follows, carrying a very slightly more aggressive beat to it that makes one think more of a video game than the club scene; it even comes complete with what sounds like game effects shortly after the four minute mark. Unlike in Starry Sky, the vocals are simply spoken and obviously not the work of the duo's female vocalist.
The song Sugarless GiRL itself is oddly one of the least electronic on the album, though there are still obviously influence and components. It's a bit more pop-rock than electronic, making it a refreshing break from the synthesizers so heavily dominating the other tracks. It is also extraordinarily catchy and listeners will have to watch that they don't start singing along in the chorus or during the cheerful "lala la"s.
"It's nice to know that you were there / thanks for acting like you care / I can hardly catch my breath." Opening with these lines in English is the fifth track, Catch my breath, a rather aggressive and, thanks to the lyrics, vindictive little electronic tune. Spider is a tune running close to the spirit of Sugarless GiRL, with rock 'n roll mixed between the layers of synthesizers, and the vocals are mostly free of any filters and distortion which is a nice break from the other tracks. After these comes MUZiC and while repetition is of course a staple in electronic or dance music of this type, the repetition in this particular track could've really used more breaks; while rather catchy at first, after roughly a minute of a half of the exact same beat, the listener may be ready to leap head first through the closest window.
Or at least skip ahead to the eighth track, Melting Point. Comparing Melting Point to MUZiC would be like comparing night and day; indeed, comparing Melting Point to any other track on this album would have much the same effect. Lacking absolutely any synthesizer, it is a simple, clean instrumental track featuring on a piano melody. It's because of this that the next track, Sound of Silence, almost comes as a shock when it begins, reminding the listener of the dance tracks heard earlier. The final song is Secret Paradise, which serves as a nice closing to the album, alternating between slightly pop music moments with featured vocals and straight-forward electronic music with its many layers.
Listeners who hold a strong preference for music with 'real' instruments (such as the guitar, bass, brass section, etc) should avoid this album like the plague; while Sugarless GiRL and Spider might be catchy enough to warrant some repeat listens, the rest of the tracks will drive that sort absolutely up the wall. However, for those with a taste for electronic music, those looking for something cool to play at a party, or those who simply want to see what happens when machine and vocals marry to create music, this album is an absolute must listen, as is the rest of what capsule has to offer.
