Evil ventriloquists

The current string of promotional videos for Fujiya & Miyagi’s latest album, Ventriloquizzing (Yep Roc), have a distinctly eerie tone. The band members portray themselves as disturbing ventriloquist’s dummies, with videos alluding to classic horror movie scenes from Psycho and The Shining. Another, labeled “Christmas Edition,” depicts the creepiest Christmas since Child’s Play. The album itself lives up to the videos’ sinister themes – a blend of experimental dance tracks with heavy electronic beats and a spine-chilling feel that will make an emo kid’s skin crawl. While their previous albums had a more poppy and lighthearted feel to them, Ventriloquizzing takes a darker, more aggressive approach.

Fujiya & Miyagi’s signature sound – which includes throbbing bass lines, catchy hooks and whispery vocals – is influenced by the band’s background and unusual interests. Fujiya refers to Steve Lewis, who builds and programs the beats, plays the synths and contributes to backing vocals, while Miyagi is vocalist and guitarist David Best. (The band’s name stems from a character in The Karate Kid, as well as a brand of record players.) The duo is as far from Japanese as can be – they formed in Brighton, England in 2000 and claim to be strongly influenced by the German experimental music of the late 60s and early 70s. Since 2005, the band has grown to include bassist Matt Hainsby and drummer Lee Adams in the line up, during which time the band’s popularity has grown and their sound has significantly evolved.

Thematically, most of Ventriloquizzing focuses on the band’s obsession with materialism and apathy. In “Tinsel & Glitter,” Best mourns Generation X – “We can stick our fingers in our ears / A pair of stilettos can hit the high notes / Dressed up in ribbons and bows.” The album relies heavily, as is typical of Fujiya & Miyagi, on ominous bass lines and analog synths, with Best carrying the audience through the album with his satirical lyrics. Standout tracks include “Sixteen Shades of Black & Blue” and “Minestrone.”

The bleak, spare sound of Ventriloquizzing takes the listener on a minimalistic journey – never quite knowing where the band is leading, but becoming increasingly anxious along the way. While not as blithely upbeat as Fujiya & Miyagi’s previous albums, Ventriloquizzing has a subtle charm of its own – it will make even the most listless listener tap a toe to the beat. These danceable rhythms, however, do not mask the album’s murky message. It ends, unsurprisingly, with a gloomy “Universe,” in which Best warns the audience – “You are not the center of the Universe.”