A prolific multi-instrumentalist and commercially successful Japanese singer-songwriter, Shugo Tokumaru claims to draw the inspiration for his imaginative music from his daily dream diary. If this is the case for his newest album, In Focus?, then I have a hard time imagining he has ever had a nightmare—its fanciful contraption of whimsical and adventurous joys rarely descends from playful chamber-pop platform to touch on any of those less-buoyant emotions that might dwell in our subconscious minds. The end result is an uplifting and enjoyable, if mostly unvarying, listening experience.
The opening track “Circle” teases a sweetly crescendoing tune as delicate, airy vocals begin to float through. Tokumaru’s native popularity is understandable here, as he employs sugary melodies to typify Japanese pop and swoon-worthy vocals to make adolescent Japanese girls clutch their Hello Kitty dolls to their chests. Then the track shifts pace, bursting forth into a careful chaos of bubbly bells and blissful singing. This sort of intricate, ornate musicality is the recurring motif of the album, appearing at least in one form or another on every track, created with just about every sort of instrument imaginable. The album finds its highlights in the tracks “Decorate” and “Call,” two upbeat capers with fun lyrical rhythms, polka interludes and rapturous, skipping-in-the-sunshine refrains. “Katachi” and “Poker” are a bit giddier and stranger, complete with chipmunk choirs and giggly anime voices. “Gamma,” “Mubyo,” and “Pah-Paka” are in the deep end of things, sounding like soundtracks for cartoon shows.
The emerging sense of the album is that of play—I get the impression Tokumaru had a lot of fun making this music. Fifteen songs in, things can start to sound similar however, but two tracks remain distinct. “Ord Gate” is more pensive than the rest, tinged with romanticism, relying more on traditional instruments and pop melodies. It ends beautifully, with lingering vocals diffusing across its gentle dreamscape. The hidden gem of the bunch is “Tightrope,” which, removed from ornateness, shines through as a thoughtful guitar track. Here, Tokumaru’s wistful vocals swing into higher octaves to reveal a more expressive power, making me wish he had shown more sides to his music. However, Tokumaru remains faithful to the pervasive sense of joy he has created; on the final track “Balloon,” after a small army of instruments barges its way to festive praise, he slips us into a soft, childlike lullaby as though issuing a gentle farewell to playtime.
