Fujiya & Miyagi

Given the group's name and its obvious love for the minimalist funk of Future Days-era Can, it isn't farfetched to think Fujiya & Miyagi are descendents of iconic krautrocker Damo Suzuki. While F&M have opened for the legendary singer, the group actually comprises three talented blighters from Brighton in the U.K. Transparent Things — the trio's recent effort compiling songs from several limited-edition vinyl releases alongside newer material — displays the most unabashed and infectious hijacking of the classic motorik sound since Stereolab hit its creative apex with Emperor Tomato Ketchup. Whether doling out pulsating instrumental grooves like "Conductor 71" (an uncanny simulation of Kraftwerk circa Autobahn) or waxing cheeky on more club-oriented tracks "Ankle Injuries" and "Photocopier," Fujiya & Miyagi mix delectable melodies and propulsive programmed rhythms so deftly that the brazen thievery becomes an afterthought. Shades of Air's down-tempo lounge surface in the mellower, synth-soaked album closers "Cylinders" and "Reeboks in Heaven," but for the most part, Transparent Things succeeds in keeping indie kids shaking their junk to Fujiya & Miyagi's simmering Teutonic dance-floor stew. — Dave Pehling