The J-Rock quartet Flumpool was formed by a pair of childhood friends, Ryuuta Yamamura and Kazuki Sakai in 2002; both played guitar. Along with an acquaintance (on bass) Genki Amakawa, the trio became a small club band known as "Cube." After a few years of playing the club circuits around Osaka, the band added a fourth member (drummer Seiji Ogura) and changed their name to Flumpool in 2007, finally beginning a recording career at the same time. With an adult contemporary sound bridging the shiny pop market and the more ballad-intense adult market, the band garnered some success early on with quick singles "Iabo" and "Hana Ni Nare." With growing fame, the band released their first album in late 2008, Unreal. Though only a mini-album, it proved that the quartet had some musical chops underlying their radio-friendly sound, and gave the band an Oricon Top Ten position for their debut. It peaked at number two on the album charts. ~ Adam Greenberg