One sure sign of the maturation of a pop-music culture is when artists start releasing albums that are organic, cohesive works of art, instead of collections of their latest hit singles with some B-grade tracks as filler. "May and December," the latest from Japanese pop/rock band the Great 3, is such an album. It's a stunningly beautiful collection of songs that stands head and shoulders above the rest of the J-pop pack.

The group was formed in 1994, when guitarist Akito Katayose, bassist Kiyoshi Takakuwa and drummer Kenichi Shirane left the Rotten Hats to form a new musical ensemble. The result was the Great 3 (the name refers to the fact that all three guys are rather tall). Frontman Katayose is what's known in Japanese as a kurotogonomi, which roughly translates as "connoisseur." When I interviewed the band a while back, Katayose confessed to buying more than 50 CDs a month, which goes some way to explaining the Great 3's diverse set of influences.

Live, the Great 3 is a hard-rocking power-pop band whose sound is fleshed out by additional musicians. In the studio, they go for eclecticism with a capital "E." Brian Wilson and the High Llamas are the band's most obvious stylistic reference points, but Jimi Hendrix, bluegrass, soul and Japanese kayokyoku pop are other key influences. On "May and December," all of those styles have come together in a brilliant, organic fashion. The album reminds me of Shuggie Otis' recently reissued "psychedelic soul" masterpiece, "Inspiration Information."