This album, Refractions by Cornelius, aka Keigo Oyamada, the Japanese guitarist and producer, lies at the very edge of the progressive rock world as we know it, and possibly even just outside it. However, sometimes our aural comfort zone needs a good old-fashioned shake-up. We have got so used to re-issues and anniversary editions from old favourites that it is all too easy for genuinely modern and imaginative music to be missed. If, like me, you have no idea who dominates the current pop charts, club music playlists, or what kind of music the Gen Z hipsters are listening to, Refractions is just the tonic you need to open your mind to the possibilities of how popular progressive electronic beat music sounds in 2026 – we should all remember that the ‘progressive’ label applies primarily to a mindset and is not restricted by any particular context or musical style.
By way of an introduction to the style of music on show, the album’s stunning centrepiece, Mirrors (residing at track 5) is an 8-minute odyssey that evokes The Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club as it spirals from the main song section into a controlled chaos of guitar, synths and samples. I reviewed Wolfgang Flür’s solo album Times last year and found that, as a bona fide Club DJ, the tone of the album was, well, mono-tonal, and its artificial, mechanical beats just a tad monotonous. Refractions, by contrast, is a club beats album that doesn’t have sharp edges, it flows smoothly, free of its genre’s clichés and obligations. The fact that Keigo Oyamada is a guitarist gives the electronic beats he creates to underpin his riffing a natural pop/rock feel and his blending of instrumentation and electronica in the production differentiates the album from anything I have heard before, as exemplified by Mirrors.
Where the tones of electronic or dance music beats and rhythms can tend to be uniform or repetitive, Cornelius manages to create individually styled tracks that bear the hallmarks of his distinctive style but each with the power to surprise and delight on their own terms. On this, his 8th studio album, there has been a shift towards much closer collaborations, so a partnership with Brazilian-American icon Arto Lindsay brings a Latin feel to Bad Advice, while cult hero Bid of The Monochrome Set appears on You Make Me Cyborg, contributing lyrics and vocals to a funky post-rock track written specifically with him in mind. Long time collaborator Shintaro Sakamoto contributes lyrics on Mazarani, and Sean Ono Lennon features on Aeons, returning a favour in fact, after the pair first worked together when Keigo Oyamada had made guest appearances in the reformed Plastic Ono Band in the 90s.
There is a more consistent, lighter, jazzier, pop feel to this album compared to Cornelius’ international breakthrough album in 1997, the experimental Fantasma, that first showcased his skill for melding together psychedelic pop, electronic music, hip hop and avant-garde composition and that placed him on the crest of a wider wave of adventurous Japanese music finding audiences overseas. Alongside his own discography, Oyamada has also developed into a sought-after collaborator and remixer, working with artists worldwide including Blur, Beck, James Brown, Yoko Ono, and Gorillaz, while also composing for film, television and large-scale visual projects and art installations.
The vocals in the songs on Refractions are sometimes in English, sometimes in Japanese, but unusually for music emanating from Japan, lead vocals are sung by male vocalists and placed back in the mix, with female voices reserved for harmonies. This approach certainly makes the songs more accessible for Western ears, and means the instrumental arrangements are always the main focus. From the opening jazz piano overture of the title track to the infectious melodic hook of the pure pop of the final track Dissolving Line this is a hugely enjoyable genre-defying journey of the unexpected, with new ideas arriving fast around every corner.
TRACK LISTING
01. Refractions (1:07)
02. まざらない / Mazaranai (5:26)
03. You Make Me Cyborg (3:22)
04. Aeons (3:36)
05. Mirrors (8:14)
06. Bad Advice (4:52)
07. 夢寝見 / Yumenemi (6:40)
08. Twisting & Glistening (4:38)
09. 溶解線 / Dissolving Line (5:16)
Total Time – 43:11
MUSICIANS
Keigo Oyamada – All Instrumentation
~ With:
Shintaro Sakamoto – Vocals (2)
Bid – Vocals (3)
Sean Ono Lennon – Vocals (4)
Arto Lindsay – Vocals (6)
ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Eat Your Own Ears
Country of Origin: Japan
Date of Release: 19th August 2026
LINKS
Cornelius – Website | Facebook | Bandcamp (Eat Your Own Ears) | YouTube | X | Instagram
