Fujiya & Miyagi - Lightbulbs
Artist: Fujiya & Miyagi
Album: Lightbulbs
Label: Deaf, Dumb & Blind
Albums often have that one element, that one instrument, that one voice, or that one lyric that turns you off from the album as a whole. This can be good—a helpful way to sort the millet from the straw—but it can also make you overlook (overlisten?) an album that is putting forward music meant to be enjoyed in a different way. On Lightbulbs, it is definitely the lyrics that, at first listen, annoy. Banal, at time nonsensical, and always prominent, the lyrics of Fujiya & Miyagi seem difficult to overcome. The music, though, is worth the effort, and it is surprisingly easy to relax and (!) begin to enjoy them once you accept the following fact: The lyrics are equally decorative and meaningful and don’t tell a coherent story or give a complete portrait as much as they add to the percussive and playful tone.
Fujiya & Miyagi – “Knickerbocker”
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“Vanilla, strawberry, knickerbocker glory . . . I saw the ghost of Lena Zavorati.” Don’t think about. Just let it happen. If you want to let images of flavors, underwear, ghosts, or Scottish pop singers bubble up, go ahead, but don’t try to string them together. Instead, enjoy the steady beat, the merging and prancing tones, and the general orchestration that is so simple and clean but also very fun and human.
Fujiya & Miyagi – “Hundreds & Thousands”
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I know: I dedicated the first paragraph to describing how the lyrics are great, and now I’m talking about the only instrumental track as one of my favorites. Deal. This makes me happy the way Stereolab makes me happy; though it is much more streamlined and precise, it has that chugging, well-orchestrated atmosphere that gets me every time.
If you are picturing two Japanese dudes rapping all Gertrude Stein over these beats, think again. The British Steve Lewis (Fujiya) and David Best (Miyagi) formed the band in 2000 and later added Matt Hainsby (Ampersand) in 2005 and Lee Adams (yet unnamed) this year. According to their wikipedia entry, a common love for krautrock and heavyweight wrestling unites the members to one another.
Check out their myspace and buy their album!
Technorati Tags: Fujiya & Miyagi, Stereolab, Gertrude Stein, Krautrock
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