Fujiya & Miyagi: Ventriloquizzing – review

Fujiya & Miyagi have cast their fourth LP in the mould of Michael Redgrave's segment of the classic British horror film Dead of Night: ventriloquism as a conduit to the surreal and sinister. Slow-burning funk basslines throb throughout, while singer Dave Best's whispered monotone feels uncomfortably intimate. There's a paced neurosis to Ventriloquizzing, with pill addictions, paranoia and crushing despondency on end track Universe, which has Best lost in the mantra: "You love the sound of your own voice/ You are not the centre of the universe." The uneasy, implicit threat that runs through the album blisters up to the surface on the disturbing Sixteen Shades of Black & Blue, when Best taunts, "I'll beat you black/ I'll beat you blue", and everything about Ventriloquizzing feels thrillingly tense, with layers of creeping analogue synths and taut, suave pop building up the pressure.