Cornelius is a prime example of the bizarre, kitschy weirdness that could only come from Japan. You know, the joyous, Brian Wilson- influenced pop music, the quirky lyrics (translated to four different languages in the liner notes), and the multiple references to children, small animals and outer space.

Yeah, we've seen this type of thing before in bands like Shonen Knife, Pizzicato Five, Cibo Matto, Buffalo Daughter, and hundreds of thousands of bands and artists after them. So, why again? Well, it's a question worth asking, since this is a genre so played out it borders on self- parody. (But didn't it always?)

The simple answer is, I don't really know. But I can tell you this: everyone that hears this record is instantly addicted. In fact, in his native country, Cornelius mastermind Keigo Oyamada is a big time superstar, and Fantasma's gone multi- platinum, having sold more than half a million copies.

So, I guess what sets Cornelius apart from his peers is his ability to structure busy, digital soundscapes around incredible chunks of catchy pop music. From the happy- go- lucky harmony assault of "New Music Machine" to the straight- up Apples In Stereo sound of "Chapter 8: Seashore and Horizon" to the video game melodies of "Thank You For The Music" and the surprisingly rockin' "Count Five or Six" (which, oddly enough, is music set to samples of people counting), there's no rescue from Fantasma's saccharine soundwaves.

Cornelius also manages to keep things interesting with the occasional freeform sampling intermissions, in which you'll hear snippets of sound from "Planet of the Apes," "The Price Is Right," FM Radio DJs, and anything else that threatened to distract this guy from working on his strange opus.

Now, let's face it-- the man is not a visionary, and Fantasma is not a masterpiece. But it's fun to listen to. In these 50 minutes, you'll be sent through lands of psychedelic sugarfields, retro rocketships and starfish baby hands, and you'll come away singing. Besides, 500,000 Japanese teenagers can't be wrong.

-Ryan Schreiber

Sound Clip:
"Count Five Or Six"
MPEG-LayerII
64kpbs.44kHz.
264k.33sec.