Fujiya & Miyagi

On Fujiya & Miyagi's 2006 breakout Transparent Things, the Brighton, U.K. trio displayed a knack for taking dark bass grooves and electro-style drumming and combining that with subtle, hushy-hush vocals. Transparent Things presented clearly a few of F&M's stylistic preferences. They like songs to build over a course of four to five minutes (mostly), teasing crescendos and relying on a lot of nonsensical lyrics that sound good paired with beats. They're a club band, disguised as a rock band, not far removed from what Hot Chip has become.

Lightbulbs changes up the formula in one noticeable way and in a few smaller ways. Those with shorter attention spans can rejoice: the songs aren't nearly as long, keeping within a three-minute framework. This has its advantages, in making for a much punchier, to-the-point sound. "Uh" and "Pickpocket" are slow and sexy, revolving around more complex bass lines. The latter couples a morse code sounding sample within its framework. "Sore Thumb" works more of the electro-drums in with simple guitar riffs, and "Pussyfooting" affirmatively works as one of the stand out dance tunes, carefully designed to get you grabbing whoever it is you'd like to grab. Lightbulbs is infectious at times, a bit mindless at others, both sentiments not all that surprising.

–Michael D. Ayers
10.06.08

As the first full-length debut of Fujiya & Miyagi (their 2006 release was actually a compilation of songs from previously released EPs), Lightbulbs shows the Brighton Brits attempting to prove themselves as much more than a pseudo-Japanese novelty act. That's not to say that Dave Best and the gang have toned back their deadpan sense of humor. Nonsensical non-sequiturs, scatting onomatopoeias, and tongue twisters still dominate the lyrics, and the wry James Murphy-esque speakeasy delivery is still evident, but now the pep has been downplayed slightly to make for more mellowed grooves. The production has thickened a bit, too, courtesy of a higher concentration of ambient textures. Airy synths and breathy vocals render the songs too dreamy to dance to, and the funky basslines and mechanical beats render them too dancey to dream to. That's the sweet spot of F&M. Call the songs lackadaisical hypno-grooves, if you will, or use the band's label of "whisper-electro" to define the sound, but essentially it's calming, polite, electro-pop that invokes '60s lounge, '70s Krautrock, and '80s synth pop while staying relevant to more modern sounds popularized by Hot Chip, Ladytron, and Air. "Knickerbocker" is an infectious jam with a driving rhythm that pays tribute to Kraftwerk, a hook that subtly rips off the Beach Boys' "Kokomo" ("vanilla, strawberry, knickerbocker glory" mimics "Aruba, Jamaica, ooh I wanna take you") and verses that give props to Hans Christian Anderson, Lena Zavaroni, and Dietrich Knickerbocker. If that's not fun, what is? ~ Jason Lymangrover, All Music Guide