''Exit'' is the studio album by
Shugo Tokumaru
is a Japanese singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, who debuted in May 2004 in America with his album ''Night Piece''. He creates every aspect of his music, including the lyrics, music, arrangements, recording and mixing. He is known for ...
. It was originally released via
P-Vine Records on October 19, 2007 in Japan.
It peaked at number 239 on the
Oricon Albums Chart
The Oricon Albums Chart is the Japanese music industry standard albums popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Oricon originally published LP, CT, Cartridge and CD charts prior to the establishment of the Oricon A ...
.
[
]
Background
Tokumaru plays more than fifty different instruments on the album, and claims that he "drew inspiration" for its music from Japanese pop and a pile of old Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
cassettes. Both of these were very influential music styles. He attained the album's experimental sound using everyday household objects such as a fork, ashtray, doorbell, wind-up toys; along with more traditional instruments such as acoustic guitar and wooden flutes. Most or all of the instruments were played in major key in a clipped, almost clockwork cadence. The album was mixed and recorded on his laptop, using the popular digital audio program Pro Tools
Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed and released by Avid Technology (formerly Digidesign) for Microsoft Windows and macOS. It is used for music creation and production, sound for picture (sound design, audio post-productio ...
.[
]
Critical reception
At Metacritic
Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, ''Exit'' received an average score of 88 based on 7 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[
'']The Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...
''s Matthew Shaer praised ''Exit'' as "a tribute to the unexpected beauty of everyday things" and "a defense of playful digression for digression's sake alone".Pitchfork
A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials.
The term is also applie ...
'' wrote, " okumaru isgently mining 1960s pop from around the globe and capturing it with a soft production and a sense of humor."[ Dan Raper of '']PopMatters
''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...
'' said, "Irrespective of biography and language, the album has a sunny, refreshing optimism that hardly feels out of date."[ In '' UR Chicago'', Bob Nanna wrote that the "curious whimsy" of opener "Parachute" is enough to "beg repeat listens and intense curiosity for what's to come".]
Track listing
Personnel
Credits adapted from liner notes.
* Shugo Tokumaru
is a Japanese singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, who debuted in May 2004 in America with his album ''Night Piece''. He creates every aspect of his music, including the lyrics, music, arrangements, recording and mixing. He is known for ...
– all audio
* Itoken – drums (on "Clocca" and "La La Radio")
* Kei Tanaka – double bass (on "Clocca" and "La La Radio")
* Yumiko – accordion (on "La La Radio")
* Machida Shizen Kindergarten – chorus (on "Button")
* Mandy Parnell
Mandy Parnell is a British mastering engineer and founder of Black Saloon Studios in London, England, where she serves as the senior mastering engineer. Parnell has worked on projects with a wide variety of artists, including Aphex Twin, Bjork, ...
– mastering
Charts
Release history
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
2007 albums
Shugo Tokumaru albums
P-Vine Records albums
Startime International albums