PUNPEE - Modern Times

This is PUNPEE’s first solo album and it’s quite the excellent adventure. As pictured on the cover, he’s travelled back in time from the future to talk about life in our time (props for choosing a hover-converted classic VW Beetle over the more obvious DeLorean). He’s written all the lyrics and produced half of the songs here, and it’s a real grab bag of different styles. You could describe it sometimes as straight hip hop, sometimes pop and there’s even a breakbeat track on there. Reminds me of Kanye when he was still funny and endearing. To promote the album, he ran a “Journey into Mystery” tour and that kind of sets the tone for the experience – a sci-fi road trip documentary of “modern times.” Or, in his older 2057 self’s words, he simply made the kind of music he wanted to listen to at that time.

■Track List

1. 2057

2. Lovely Man

3. Happy Meal

4. 宇宙に行く

5. Renaissance

6. Scenario (Film)

7. Interval

8. Pride

9. P.U.N.P. (Communication)

10. Stray Bullets

11. Rain (Freestyle)

12. 夢のつづき

13. タイムマシーンにのって

14. Bitch Planet

15. Oldies

16. Hero