cornelius - point

.:: Point is the long-awaited (it’s true) new release from Japan’s most innovative and respected musician, Cornelius a.k.a. Keigo Oyamada. It is a heartbreaking work of staggering genius which forges a very different path from his 1998 US debut ‘Fantasma.’ Where ‘Fantasma’ was an exaggerated media collage which deconstructed the history of pop and reassembled it into a breathtaking tangle of sound, ‘Point’ is altogether more atmospheric, involving mood-driven soundscapes.

Rather than cramming all his influences onto one record, ‘Point’ shows Keigo taking a more organic, personal approach to his art; he tells us he approached Fantasma like a 5th grader—all cut & paste—but approached this one like a grandpa, where everything has to have meaning and relate to each other. Cornelius takes his inspiration from the world around him (not always musical), creating a dizzying environmental sound. The same musical influences are still there, but toned down and mutated into a more cohesive and mature album.

‘Point’ was a year in the making, recorded solely in a small private studio above the Cornelius office. As well as providing all of the music, Keigo also self-produced the record, joined only in the studio by sound engineer Mishima, who also helped with the programming. There are some spectacular songs such as the danceable “Drop,” the retro-Hawaiian “Brazil” (by Barosso) and the pseudo-metal of “I Hate Hate.” This is Japanese pop at its most eclectic, invigorating, and sexy.

Cornelius, while being hailed as a genius and as the future of rock and roll by many, is also just as interested in design, fashion, video, conceptual and pop art, and live extravaganzas (there will be no less than five music videos for Point).

download: cornelius - point

pass: indie-ground.blogspot.com