http://www.kindamuzik.net

ernaast

Onze laatste liverecensie.

Meindert Talma in De Amer.

Onze laatste albumrecensie.

M.I.A. weet wat ze wil.

Ons laatste interview.

Sin Ropas: scheuten en zwarte turf.

Onze laatste video.

Colin Benders: het geluk van de modulaire synthesizer.

Cornelius | Point

The follow-up to 'Fantasma' disappoints.
CD, Matador/Konkurrent

Tekst: Alex Tobin

Publicatiedatum: 21 januari 2002

"The music of this 'Phil Spector' for the post-rave generation has been described as Beach Boys meet Beastie Boys, but there is also something distinctly Japanese in the fragility of the Cornelius sound."
- The Telegraph

Following up a classic album, filled with pure pop delights, fun-filled rock, and kitsch-infused electronic pulses, was never going to be easy. Four years after 'Fantasma', Keigo Oyamada, better known to the (music) world as Cornelius, makes his grand return with 'Point', another carefully constructed sound sculpture. Whereas 'Fantasma' possessed the hint of a happy-go-lucky and carefree joie de vivre, Cornelius acting out his musical ideas in the semi-hidden guise of the fifth Monkee (no pun intended), 'Point' is an altogether denser and slightly darker affair. Sure, the variety and eagerness to experiment remain resolutely intact - from the catchy airiness of 'Smoke' via the clever hydro-sampling of 'Drop' through to the pseudo-metal fist-pumping of 'I Hate Hate' and the queer campiness of 'Brazil' (a cover of the Barosso/Russell track featured in the Terry Gilliam film of the same name). The music, however, is more muted and more restricted; the emphasis is more on mood-driven soundscapes than on outright quirky poptastic song nuggets. Sadly, this element, combined with the overload of genre-hopping and variety of styles present on 'Point', make for a less rewarding listen this time around. This is headphone music, to be sure, but Cornelius makes the mistake of jumping around a tad too much in his quest for the perfect all-round album. The cohesiveness is somewhat missing; the binding glue that held 'Fantasma' together so well is not present here. Having said that: If this were a release by a lesser-known artist, this review surely would be in the form of a full-frontal rave about the brilliance of this record. But we know to expect more from Cornelius.