Fantasma (Cornelius album)
| Fantasma | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Cornelius | ||||
| Released | 3 September 1997 | |||
| Genre | Shibuya-kei[1] | |||
| Length | 50:12 | |||
| Label | Trattoria, Matador, Lefse Records | |||
| Producer | Keigo Oyamada | |||
| Cornelius chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Fantasma | ||||
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Fantasma is the third studio album by the Japanese recording artist Cornelius. It was released in 1997 and charted at number six on the Japanese Oricon album chart.[2] Fantasma includes the singles "Star Fruits Surf Rider", "Free Fall" and "Chapter 8" (co-written by Robert Schneider and Hilarie Sidney of The Apples in Stereo). The latter two singles were released in the UK only.
The album received mixed reviews upon release, but drew more praise in later years. Considered one of the defining works of Shibuya-kei, writer W. David Marx described Fantasma as "an important textbook for an alternative musical history where Bach, [Burt] Bacharach, and the Beach Boys stands as the great triumvirate."[1]
Release history
Two companion remix albums FM - Fantasma Remixes and CM - Cornelius Remixes were released the following year. The former is composed of music from Fantasma remixed by other artists. The latter is composed of remixes by Cornelius of most of the artists that contributed to FM - Fantasma Remixes.
The track "Star Fruits Surf Rider" was released as a single on November 2, 1998 and was covered by Mitsuki Aira for her 2008 double A-side single, "Darling Wondering Staring"/"Star Fruits Surf Rider". The cover was later included on the extended version of Aira's debut album, Copy. Moreover, "Star Fruits Surf Rider" has lyrics in English, while the US promotional release has lyrics in Japanese.
The track "Magoo Opening" was on the Japan release titled as "Monkey". It contains sample from "Gotta Get To Your House", recorded by David Seville and "Magoo Opening" as performed by Dennis Farnon & His Orchestra.
Fantasma was reissued in the United States in June 2016, accompanied by a tour in August including a date performing at Justin Vernon's Eaux Cleaires Festival in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The album was released as a limited edition remastered double vinyl LP through Lefse Records and digitally released by Post Modern.[3]
Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| Exclaim! | 9/10[5] |
| FLOOD Magazine | 9/10[6] |
| Pitchfork Media | 8.8/10[7] |
| Rolling Stone |  [8] |
| Select | 4/5[9] |
| Spin | 6/10[10] |
Track listing
All tracks written by Keigo Oyamada, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mic Check" | 3:01 | |
| 2. | "The Micro Disneycal World Tour" | 3:37 | |
| 3. | "New Music Machine" | 3:53 | |
| 4. | "Clash" | 5:37 | |
| 5. | "Count Five or Six" | 3:03 | |
| 6. | "Magoo Opening" | Oyamada, Dennis Famon | 2:08 |
| 7. | "Star Fruits Surf Rider" | 5:42 | |
| 8. | "Chapter 8 - Seashore and Horizon" | Oyamada, Robert Schneider, Hilarie Sidney | 3:25 |
| 9. | "Free Fall" | 4:07 | |
| 10. | "2010" | 2:04 | |
| 11. | "God Only Knows" | 7:39 | |
| 12. | "Thank You for the Music" | 4:53 | |
| 13. | "Fantasma" | 0:55 |
| 2016 reissue bonus tracks | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Taylor" | 2:52 |
| 2. | "Lazy" | 5:25 |
| 3. | "Ball in Kick Off" | 5:19 |
| 4. | "Typewriter Lesson" | 5:46 |
Personnel
- Keigo Oyamada (also credited as The Ape) - production, performing, writing, mixing
Musicians
- Toyoaki Mishima - keyboards
- Robert Schneider - vocals and bass on "Chapter 8 - Seashore and Horizon"
- Hilarie Sidney - vocals and drums on "Chapter 8 - Seashore and Horizon"
- Moog Yamamoto - scratches on "Mic Check" and "2010"
- Kazumichi Fujiwara - vocals on "Mic Check" and "Star Fruits Surf Rider"
- Kinbara Strings - strings on "The Micro Disneycal World Tour" and "God Only Knows"
- Sean O'Hagan - banjo, sampler and chorus on "Thank You for the Music"
- Yoshié Hiragakura - drums on "Count Five or Six" and "Star Fruits Surf Rider"
- Yano Yuki - theremin on "The Micro Disneycal World Tour"
Production
- Toyoaki Mishima - hard-disk manipulations
- Nakai-kun - mixing, engineering (assistant)
- Toru Takayama - mixing, engineering
Artwork
- Hiroshi Nomura - photos
- Masakazu Kitayama, Mitsuo Shindo - artwork
References
- 1 2 Hadfield, James (July 24, 2016). "Keigo Oyamada sees U.S. ‘Fantasma’ tour as a good warm-up to new Cornelius material". The Japan Times.
- ↑ "Japan: Album positions". oricon.co.jp. Retrieved 2013-04-20.
- ↑ "Cornelius Announces Fantasma Reissue". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2016-08-15.
- ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Fantasma – Cornelius". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
- ↑ Sylvester, Daniel (8 June 2016). "Cornelius – Fantasma [Reissue]". Exclaim!. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
- ↑ Pearlman, Mischa (7 June 2016). "Cornelius, Fantasma [reissue]". FLOOD Magazine. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
- ↑ St. Michel, Patrick (11 June 2016). "Cornelius: Fantasma". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
- ↑ Salamon, Jeff (23 March 1998). "Cornelius: Fantasma". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 25 September 2009. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
- ↑ Barnes, Mike (August 1998). "Cornelius: Fantasma". Select (98): 90.
- ↑ Michel, Sia (May 1998). "Cornelius: Fantasma / Dimitri From Paris: Sacrebleu". Spin. 14 (5): 134. Retrieved 11 June 2016.