Neil Queen
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TRACK: Knickerbocker
WHO: Fujiya and Miyagi. It’s either a make of record player and the dude from Karate Kid or a Brighton four-piece. Part of me wants it to be the former, but sadly knows it to be the latter.
WHAT: Kraut-art-japester-funk.
THE HYPE: “They’ve done the unthinkable. They’ve made krautrock fun." - Picthfork
WE SAY: Aahhh, the good old English eccentric. Always good to see that there’s still room for him. They may not look especially raffish, but Fujiya & Miyagi have that playful arty willfullness that marked out the likes of Viv Stanshall, plus the eye for the bland glamour that characterised Half Man Half Biscuit.
Lyrically alone, this is easily worth wasting the two seconds required to head to their MySpace. Feeling like the automatic writing of a surrealist, words and phrases hang together creating a touching ragbag of possibly shared memories – summed up by a chorus that is one part mysterious, one part genius: “vanilla, strawberry, knickerbocker glory; I saw the ghost of Lena Zavarone" whispered by singer David Best like it’s some arcane incantation that can raise an army of light entertainers from the dead, like Rod Hull and Dustin Gee recreating the Thriller video.
Having knocked around for a fair few years, the Brighton band have now perfected the art of banging together Krautrock and dancetronica, with the nagging and incessant drum 'n' bass hum that'll be familiar to fans of Neu and Riton's more recent Eine Kleine Nacht Musik, yet feels perfectly at home in the new millenium. Add to that the sparing washes of moog and guitar and you have a perfect bedrocks for Best’s curious monologues. A synergy of stuff that appeals to ear, brain and feet, this really is a sweet treat that won't rot your teeth.
It truly deserves to sell in its 100s and 1000s TM. Groan.
IF YOU ONLY NEED TO KNOW ONE THING: The video for Knickerbocker is something else too. A witty and charming retro slide show based on the song’s lyrics. It's on the MySpace. Have a look.
WHERE CAN I GET MY HANDS ON IT: Knickerbocker is out Aug 25 on Full-Time Hobby. Their album Lightbulbs follows Sept 1st.
FIND MORE: www.myspace.com/fujiyaandmiyagi
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