Point

This is the sound of hundreds of monkeys with guitars being airdropped onto a bag of dogs with samplers, and as such, it’s something of a masterpiece of the genre.

In common with the handful of Japanese artists that see their work released on Western shores, Cornelius is mad as a bucket of hair. While Point is vastly more accessible than previous outings, Keigo Oyamada’s pop dream is still refracted through a prism of ear-baiting eccentricity – making for an album as frustrating as it is enthralling.

There’s a distinct whiff of the Stereolabs in the sugary harmonics and repetitive guitar lines of ‘Bug’ and ‘Smoke’, and moments of downhome quietude like ‘Town Twilight Zone’ or ‘Point Of View Point’ give ample breathing space away from the military-grade speedcore of ‘I Hate Hate’.

All told, Point is a far more mellow excursion that we had any reason to expect from Japan’s favourite robot savant.

A 1,000 trick pony.