Well, I know who's winning the award for best titled album of the year. Japanese musician Tomoyuki Tanaka is the man behind Fantastic Plastic Machine and has surely created some of the weirdest songs in written memory.

The general vibe of this album is that of 1960's France. Imagine scooters whizzing through the Paris, cheesy teenage films and cocktails on the beach and you're getting the picture. The twist however is that it's all combined with bang up-to-date keyboards and beats. It's an unusual combination but one that works surprisingly well.

But wait - there's more!! It seems that our Mr.Tanaka is well aware of the kitsch value of this stuff and in some tracks decides to exploit this to the full by major cheese overload, Dear Mr. Salesman being a prime example. "I'm tired of picking up your tabs at The Bunny Club" sneers a sample, before the cutesy vocals let you into the secret about "What he keeps everywhere in his magic suitcase"! Allen Ginsberg could be straight off your GameBoy, and another one of the tracks even has its rhythm set by a game of table tennis - Katy Hillarious!

The Fantastc Plastic Machine may have a bit of a strange sound to it but it's extremely listenable. The album only falls down where a song is milked too much (it's fun in the first minute but wait until the sixth!).

If you're hip and love the 60's then get yourself to a record shop, but even if you're just after a change then give this a try.

As the man says: "Mmmmmm, nice".

7/10 Karl Cremin

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