Well, the name throws a dummy for starters. Because while FUYIJA & MIYAGI sound like they may well hail from Tokyo, or maybe Osaka at a push, they are actually a smart, genre-hopping British quartet whose third album 'Lightbulbs' was recorded in darkest Hove. Humph.
But the disappointments end there. Categorically, in fact, because 'Lightbulbs' is very much the sound of another resounding success from the Full Time Hobby stable and one of those records that simply exudes natural brilliance and low-key originality without ever seemingly having to try too hard.
Magnificent opening track 'Knickerbocker' immediately gets you onside with its' thrumming, Krautrock-y groove, clipped and economic guitars and David Best's deadpan voice seemingly unwittingly holding court. Best doesn't sing so much as mumble and/or whisper like an unholy alliance of Wire's Colin Newman, Cabaret Voltaire's Stephen Mallinder and someone making an obscene phone call, but his cool delivery is ideal where these unassuming, but fantastic songs are concerned. Besides, any tune that has the gumption to rhyme “the ghost of Lena Zavaroni” with “knickerbocker glory” clutches genius closely to its' chest as far as I'm concerned.
Wonderfully, the rest of the album easily lives up to the promise of this opening cut. Tunes like 'Pterodactyls' and the nicely suggestive 'Uh' (with its' lyric about being “as prickly as a couple of porcupines”) are understated treats and -to these ears – recall the great minimalist likes of ESG. Elsewhere, the intriguing, credit crunch-beating 'Pickpocket' is in touch with its' splatchy electro side, recalling pioneers such as Robert Rental and the early Some Bizarre roster and the distinctly danceable 'Sore Thumb' may superficially be niggly and Talking Heads-y, yet while F&M may proudly display their gently cerebral credentials, the end results are never discriminatory where both head and heart are concerned.
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In these bombastic times, too, the other quality 'Lightbulbs' displays in spades is F&M's apparently inherent ability to play with a restraint that's truly refreshing. This quality is nowhere more apparent than on the gloriously dreamy and eerie 'Goosebumps', where Steve Lewis's synths swirl and caress before the band glide in and transform the whole thing into something that's good enough to be your tingle of the week regardless of the vagaries of fashion.
They exit in a similar fashion to the way they entered courtesy of the sinewy, motorik pulsing of the instrumental 'Hundreds And Thousands', but really they've got this sewn up and in the bag long before then. Indeed, while being 'eclectic' seems almost an unwritten law these days, there are always those with both the heart and intelligence to tailor their love of diversity into something entirely their own. Fujiya & Miyagi are clearly cut from this durable cloth and with 'Lightbulbs' they are sporting a suit of lights that will surely wear well down the years.
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