Fans of Hot Chip and Air will appreciate Fujiya & Miyagi's brand of witty and wiry electronica. Singer Dave Best whispers obtuse stream-of-consciousness lyrics about scoring new kicks ("Collarbone") and getting socked by a girl ("Sucker Punch") over slinky dance-punk backdrops. "We were just pretending to be Japanese," the frontman playfully repeats in "Photocopier." But don't be fooled -- their urban jungle soundtrack is the real deal.

Fujiya & Miyagi are not Japanese nor are they a duo, but are in fact a trio of rather cheeky Brits. Keeping with the multi-cultural theme, they also love Neu!-style Krautrock, with its metronome rhythms and cerebral melodies. This second release after 2003's Electro Karaoke in the Negative Style is filled with sly statements and cute jokes about commodity and materialism--Transparent Things is a particularly apt title--but more than anything else it's a goofball lark. With the music-nerd navel-gazing of LCD Soundsystem, but also the sonic aesthetic of Stereolab, it can be enjoyed regardless of whether you want to get geeky. Some might say it's best enjoyed that way, as some of the record's most enjoyable moments, like the skittery last few minutes of "Photocopier" or the instrumental "Cassettesingle" aren't about words at all. At times it's downright danceable, with tracks like "Reeboks in Heaven" exhibiting an abstract, electro grooviness. Their devotion to quirk ends up being a little too cute occasionally (like when they use the band name as a chant in "Ankle Injuries"), but their energy is so harmless it's easy to overlook it. Don't worry about getting all the jokes; Fujiya & Miyagi would likely be happier if you turned your brain off and cut a rug instead. --Matthew Cooke