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Fujiya & Miyagi

Lightbulbs (Deaf Dumb & Blind)

By Amanda McCorquodale
Published: October 13th, 2008 | 9:00am

Electro-pop born from Krautrock, Fujiya & Miyagi's latest album, Lightbulbs, is music to strut to. With lyricism reminiscent of early Underworld (and at times, INXS), the album recounts everyday dramas backed by drumbeats and a sweet bass groove. Each track is marked by contagious phrasing and pulsing beats that lure the listener into their sardonic treatment of all things mediocre.

Two friends in Brighton formed the band in 2000, naming themselves after a turntable manufacturer (Fujiya) and the martial arts master in The Karate Kid (Miyagi). David Best plays guitar and whisper-talks the vocals while Steve Lewis tweaks synthesizers, beats, and the programming. The group recently absorbed a bass player, Matt Hainsby, and this album marks their first with an actual drummer, Lee Adams. Fujiya & Miyagi’s previous album, Transparent Things, received wide acclaim as a witty dance record. Unfortunately, the fresh sound that elevated Transparent Things is somewhat dimmer on Lightbulbs.

Lightbulbs, like Transparent Things, revolves around prosaic observations of the material world. The lyrics, chosen for their sound and not their meaning, create modern haikus of the everyday as in, "Stella Artois / Mixed with / Beef burger" (“Goosebumps”). Set to soulful and rhythmic melodies, Fujiya & Miyagi's repeated one-liners morph into jingles that are hard to shake. Lines like “Why do / You do / The things you do?” (“Pickpocket”) and “Just look inside / Your encyclopedia” (“Dishwasher”) will be bouncing around in your head long after the CD stops spinning. And although each song is defiantly catchy, there are only a few that stand out as stellar: “Uh,” “Pussyfooting,” and “Pickpocket.”

With their artful arrangements and emphasis on the ordinary, Fujiya & Miyagi offer a magical soundtrack to most of our daily lives in Lightbulbs. Imagine a world where buying milk, going to the post office, and taking out the garbage inspired folks to break out into song or, in the case of this album: electro-pop, Krautrock-influenced song.

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