Takako Minekawa

Takako Minekawa creates ultra-sweet pop, draping it in a sea of choppy electronic rhythms that fall somewhere between minimalist New Wave and more complex avant-electronic squawks. With her beloved, squeaky, hello-I'm-twelve-years-old vocals, she comes across as a Lolita with turntables. The one-time child star began her career in 1995 with a structured album, Chat Chat, that aimed for the ironic vein -- her unique vocals tackled everything from the Beatles to Tom T. Hall. Her records have progressed since, encompassing blips and breakbeats while invoking an air of retro-futurism and providing images of toys, squirrels, and of course, kitties.