When I first heard this album my initial thought was, "Are you serious?" In fact, the blatantly naive lyrics caused me to pull a friend aside and have him listen to Kazutaka Nomura sing about the death of his pet bird.

But as I continued listening, I suddenly seemed to understand, appreciate and enjoy PWRFL Power. The album features just Nomura on acoustic guitar and vocals, but does not come across as shallow or incomplete.

The ultra-personal, sing-song vocals are intentionally naive and quirky as Nomura sings about his cat, romances and some obscure notions about social interactions. On one track he sings "I will throw a tomato at you. Tomato juice all over your face ... When you are mean to me I wish it was an apple not a tomato ...." Lyrics like these initially turned me off but the more I listened, the more I appreciated these unusual and simplified lyrics.

I grew to enjoy the conversational, raw honesty in his vocal, and at times his subtle singing style can be quite lovely. I also love Nomura's use of the Japanese language on some of his tracks.

The organic guitar sound of PWRFL Power always resonated well with me. Contrasting with a simplistic vocal, the rich guitar melodies are much more complex and developed. I was not surprised to learn that Nomura trained under classical composer Bern Herbolsheimer.

The first track, "It's Okay," is quite pleasant in the beginning before it leads to a slightly, darker eerie vocal and then lightens up again by delivering the hopeful message "It's okay to be yourself, it's okay to release your powerful power, because it feels good."

Meanwhile, "Soft Boy" is especially dark with very blunt vocals and haunting guitar lines. The lyrics are especially honest and relatable while the guitar breakdown has a fantastic bluesy feel. At moments, "Two Keys" is pure sunshine and sweetness with light, eclectic guitar that really carries the song to a warm place.

Although his unique style can be off-putting at first, PWRFL Power is something special. I highly suggest picking up the album and checking out the band live this Thursday at the Comet Tavern or on Friday night at the Vera Project.