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Zero 7
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
Transparent Things
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 16 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 8 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Deaf Dumb & Blind
Release Date: 23 January 2007
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Indie, Rock, Electronic
Summary
As their name suggests, Fujiya & Miyagi are an English trio who make German electronic rock. (OK, so maybe it doesn't suggest that.) 'Things' compiles some of the Brighton band's previously-released singles.
Also By This Artist: Lightbulbs
Also On The Web: F&M @ MySpace Official Artist Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Stylus Magazine
Transparent Things, then, sounds less the work of three programmers and more like a band that plays together and stays together—like Hot Chip holding it a little closer to the vest, maybe.
Read Full Review >Under The Radar
The difference between a wholly derivative artist and Fujiya & Miyagi is that they take their influences and condense them into one. [#17, p.91]
All Music Guide
When F&M stick to simple dance melodies and wound-up instrumental grooves, they're as good as anyone else out there.
Read Full Review >Prefix Magazine
It comes as no surprise that Fujiya & Miyagi's sound recalls other neo-futurists.... But Fujiya & Miyagi is undeniably its own band, with peppy melodicism and upfront sense of humor.
Read Full Review >Spin
This is dance music downsized for iPods but also indie rock expanded for the dance floor. [Jan 2007, p.89]
Urb
The only complaint I have is that this disc clocked in just under 39 minutes, while it definitely wouldn't be bogged down by another 41 minutes of tracks like these. [Jan/Feb 2006, p.78]
cokemachineglow
It has its flaws, and it certainly isn’t some great reinvention of krautrock, but Transparent Things is an incredibly likeable album.
Read Full Review >Blender
They're fascinated with rhythm, repetition and duplication, like early-'70s German experimental bands Neu! and Can. [Mar 2007, p.136]
Mojo
Stereolab had similar starting blocks--there's no reason why Fujiya & Miyagi shouldn't become as notable. [Jan 2007, p.110]
PopMatters
It’s a little bit of a summer record, relaxed and unassuming, but for its patience and surprising originality, it rewards repeat listens.
Read Full Review >Dusted Magazine
The album's vocals exemplify the real problem here, which is that while the music is appealing and well-executed, everything feels perfectly coordinated and absolutely calculated.
Read Full Review >NOW Magazine
There are worse artists to jack than David Byrne and company, but after all the breathless hype, you'd expect something a little more innovative.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 9.1 (out of 10) based on 8 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
kelly gave it a10:
Not Japanese; not German; not original; but somehow contagious as a virus.
Ryan C gave it a10:
For fans of Can and Kraftwerk.
Todd W gave it a7:
Oh, this trio of witty Brits making like the Vapors and turning Japanese. David Best, Stephen Lewis, and Lee Adams cop Can and Neu! with a healthy dose of Steroelab. It's a potent mix...if the lyrics weren't so inane. The beats and music on this album are both wondrous and fresh. The lyrics, on the other hand, read like something Genevieve could pen. (An inside aside.) I mean, who needs to be reminded ad nauseum that the ankle bone is connected to the shin bone, etc. Didn't we learn that in the first grade? Ankle Injuries pummels you with the name of the band, although to be kind it is set to an infectious beat. That pretty much sums up what you're going to hear on the rest of this offering. Ironically, the best songs are the instrumentals - Conductor 71 and Cassettesingle - which hints at the strength of the writing. For a first stab at a full-length, however, there's a lot here on which to hang one's hopes. Me, I want lyrics to match the intelligence of the music.
