To say that Shutoku Mukai is intense is definitely an understatement. Mukai, leader of the now-disbanded group Number Girl, belts out his dark, angst-laden lyrics like a man possessed. Mukai's passionate vocal delivery and Number Girl's manic, minor-chord buzzsaw rock made the Fukuoka-based band one of the most interesting groups in Japan before they called it a day in 2002. Asked why he distorted his vocals so much on Number Girl's recordings, Mukai said it's because he doesn't have much confidence...

To say that Shutoku Mukai is intense is definitely an understatement. Mukai, leader of the now-disbanded group Number Girl, belts out his dark, angst-laden lyrics like a man possessed. Mukai's passionate vocal delivery and Number Girl's manic, minor-chord buzzsaw rock made the Fukuoka-based band one of the most interesting groups in Japan before they called it a day in 2002. Asked why he distorted his vocals so much on Number Girl's recordings, Mukai said it's because he doesn't have much confidence in his singing ability. Number Girl reached their artistic peak on the fantastic album "Num Heavy Metallic," which like their previous efforts was produced by Dave Fridmann, best known for producing the Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev. Fridmann played a key role in helping Number Girl develop an echo-drenched, doomy sound that was utterly unlike anything else in Japanese rock. Although their uncompromising style of modern rock could have suited the tastes of indie music fans overseas, Number Girl's sole venture outside Japan was an appearance at the South by Southwest music-biz conference in Austin, Texas, in 1999. The band decided to call it a day in 2002 after bassist Kentaro Nakao quit the band to pursue his own musical interests, which was a shame, as Number Girl was just starting to gain critical mass in terms of popularity. Mukai remains a man to watch on the Japanese music scene; his latest project is the rock band Zazen Boys.  Hisako Tabuchi, Number Girl's guitarist, is also active, fronting the band Toddle.