Ventriloquizzing
3/5
We are baffled by many things – the popularity of Ugg boots, for one – and we now add another puzzle to our list. Why (shakes fist at the sky) are Fujiya & Miyagi not bigger than K2? Elegant, sharp as a tack, darkly humorous, elliptical and yet groovy, the Brighton quartet are UK electronic pop’s best kept secret. This despite the fact that their latest album is their fourth.
Ventriloquizzing is a brilliant meshing of man and machine, its irresistible motorik drive offset by über-funky bass, sexily severe guitar, cabaret-noir synths and the oddly sinister vocals of David Best. Not many frontmen could summon dread when singing about minestrone (in the eponymous song) or licking houmous off a plastic spoon (as on the terrific ‘Taiwanese Boots’), but Best can. Clearly fans of Can and Kraftwerk, F&M also source Cabaret Voltaire, Bootsy’s Rubber Band, Berlin-era Bowie and The Glitter Band. If you’ve never listened, then now is the time to get quizzical.
