Yellow Magic Orchestra, BGM

Those guys from Tokyo are at it again. With a frankly fraudulent title and a more idiosyncratic style (even, incredibly, a fashion of rap), BGM rewards the active listener despite its name with unusual textures and harmonies and early use of the famous TR-808. There's not much sampling here, either, which may have been due to the limits of the technology but also gives it a stronger musical identity. Some of the tracks are a little loopy for the casual interest ("Happy End," "Camouflage") and the vocals are as weak as ever (except for the Bowiesque "Cue"), but there's startling studio craft ("Music Plans," "Loom") and lots of layers ("1000 Knives") to geek out on, and electronica nerds won't be disappointed. (Content: no concerns.)

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