Fujiya & Miyagi

Transparent Things (Deaf Dumb & Blind)

By Chris Pacifico
Published: February 9th, 2007 | 4:17pm

Okay, so they’re not really Japanese and there are three of them, but we’ll let the false advertising slide on the basis that Transparent Things will most likely make it on the Top Ten Albums of 2007 list. Brighton-based trio Fujiya & Miyagi seem like they won’t be able to catch a wink of sleep at night unless they have an early Tangerine Dream or Neu! record crammed snuggly under their pillows. Transparent Things simmers at its own pace with minimalist Krautrock infusions and swanky, slithering dance beats evoking the semblance of being backstage at a fashion show where leather jacket—clad, Eurotrash hipsters are occasionally itching their upper body.

With the opener “Ankle Injuries,” the band’s name is huffed and puffed in a mantra-like deliverance which sets the tone for how singer/guitarist David Best executes his style, making Transparent Things a rather sexy album. “Collarbone” is a chic slab of minimalist disco peppered in scattering breakbeats, while “Photocopier” lilts gently on a path of twinkling psychedelic trip hop. At times, it’s as if Fujiya & Miyagi have made the perfect soundtrack that the film Tron never saw. Their sensibilities for churning out a funk dynamic contain a certain cache as if Prince and the Revolution were loaded up on Xanax. Either way, Transparent Things is perfect whether you fancy dancing or just chilling out.