Fujiya & Miyagi

On their third album, the contrarily named British quartet Fujiya and Miyagi return to the muted krautrock pop that made its predecessor, Transparent Things, such a delight. All the hallmarks of the winning formula are there: the hushed, wry vocals of front-man David Best, the odd funky bass line and most importantly, the driving krautrock beats. Besides some interesting textures and a general mellowing out there isn't too much to distinguish this release from Transparent Things. There are subtle shifts in aesthetics on this album – the spacey synths of "Goosebumps" convey a slight melancholy not found on Transparent Things. The trouble is, there aren't enough of these revelations. A lot of bands successfully base their whole careers on slight variations in aesthetics but it's funny how quickly it wears out when this bunch try it.