As the producer behind electro-idol trio Perfume and oddball techno-pop style icon Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, Yasutaka Nakata has been behind some of the most interesting and forward-thinking pop in Japan, consistently pushing back the boundaries of what the mainstream can handle while maintaining a musical identity that marks anything he touches as distinctly his.
In a year where Kyary's "Nanda Collection" and Perfume's "Level3" have both streaked to the top of the charts and staked strong claims for end-of-year J-pop bests, Nakata may have been saving the best till last with "Caps Lock" by his own project, Capsule (in tune with the title, the album and band name are officially stylized in all caps as the shouty "CAPS LOCK" and CAPSULE).
Analyzing Nakata's work can sometimes feel akin to hunting for a man in a hall of mirrors, his various projects forming a labyrinth of reflections, none of which gives a complete picture. Ideas flow back and forth between Perfume, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu and Capsule, but as some seem to converge, others pull apart and the relationship remains in flux.
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