POPLAR - Mushimonogatari 1 July 2006
POPLAR is one of the more odd bands I鈥檝e come across, and one which has had an unstable line-up since their first release in 2005, Amaterasu. I labeled Mushimonogatari as a 鈥榬ock鈥?album but that choice was rather arbitrary as it omits the elements of hip-hop, rap, pop, metal, traditional Japanese, and others that appear throughout. The experimental nature of the album reflects the on-stage behavior of POPLAR鈥檚 line-up at the time, and vice-versa: Wadagaki, the male vocalist and rapper rarely seen not jumping or running around, female vocalist Mai, always on stage in a traditional kimono, and guitarist Shino, never seen without a Mexican wrestling mask so as to hide his identity鈥攕eriously. I remember POPLAR receiving some less-than-lukewarm receptions during that era for their strange visual mash-up and equally unpredictable songs. But I always thought Mushimonogatari had a lot of great tracks to offer. Listen to it and judge for yourself, although keep in mind this album isn鈥檛 representative of POPLAR as they are now: a duo of Shino and Taiwanese vocalist Elesha.