Little Creatures' 12-year career is a catalog of restless musical curiosity. Though their first moody releases were vaguely trip hop, their subsequent work defies categorization. Recent releases have touched on drum 'n' bass and jazzy Tortoise-like turns. ,fusing traditional instruments and electronics into heartfelt, lyrical songs. Their style might be in constant flux, but their approach is not. Little Creatures' sophisticated musical collages are fueled by a self-conscious awareness of themselves as artists. Guitarist and lyricist Takuji Aoyagi, under his pseudonym Kama Aina, has even gone so far as to style himself as a "musical activist." It screams pretense, except that he lives up to his aspirations. His compilation of traditional Hawaiian music rescued that genre from cliche, and he and partner Tamie Hirokawa have been strong supporters of charities for victims of the Chernobyl disaster.

Bassist Makoto Suzuki and drummer Tsutomu Kurihara are equally busy with a growing number of side projects. With the founding of their label, Chordiary, two years ago, Little Creatures and the many bands in their orbit have finally been gathered under one umbrella. But like Little Creatures themselves, it would be difficult to tease a defining sound or style from the roster.

Miyuki Hatakeyama is the closest thing that the label has to a diva. Her strong, crystalline voice recalls Sarah Brightman, but her music is spiked with adventure. Her vocal work with ethnic orchestra Double Famous, yet another Little Creatures offshoot, made the term "world music" almost honorable. Noise on Trash (Kurihara's other main project) goes in another direction entirely. Singer Madoki Yamasaki's voice has a dry, flat tone reminiscent of Joy Division's Ian Curtis. And like Joy Division, especially in their live incarnation, Noise on Trash's songs hinge on Kurihara's drumming and the stand-up bass work of Katsuhiko Sakamoto. If Hatakeyama is mostly sunshine and sweetness, then Noise on Trash is Chordiary's stormy underbelly.