Pitchfork

From the looks of it, Brighton-based Pitchfork faves Fujiya & Miyagi are about ready to go Super Saiyan. Their latest full-length, Transparent Things, has been stockpiling acclaim not only from the international music press but from some of the world's most prestigious DJs as well, including Optimo, Erol Alkan, and the DFA's James Murphy. Last month, your pals here at the Fork tagged it Best New Music, saying, "they're doing for 70s krautrock and motorik what the DFA did for early 80s electro." Indeed, without even being asked, they've gone and done the unthinkable: They've actually made krautrock fun.

So why can't you get a hold of the goddamn record? Well, if you're anywhere in Europe, congratulations: You can just walk into whatever record store and buy it with all your weird-looking money. Unfortunately, we Americans will have to wait for its proper stateside release.

The good news is that Fujiya & Miyagi have just inked a U.S. distro deal with Deaf Dumb & Blind Communications (also home to those The Other Side Of... comps curated by Ellen Allien, Fischerspooner, and Black Strobe), and are planning to bring the album to our shores January 23. The bad news? Until then, DD+B has banned all import sales of the record (what!)-- although opening track and debut U.S. single "Ankle Injuries" will be available via iTunes on November 7.

The North American edition may also feature different cover art, which, if it winds up anything like the ass-ugly artwork on DD+B's website, will be grounds for much sadness. The band's management was nice enough to send over a Euro copy of the record, and to say it sports some of the most beautiful packaging we've seen all year would not be a stretch. Compare:

DD+B, if you're reading this, wtf!

But hey, it'll sound the same. Plus, it'll also feature a bonus track, "Reeboks in Heaven". "It's a reworking of the song 'King Holer' from the first album, which was my granddad's nickname in his golf club," Fujiya vocalist David Best explained to Pitchfork yesterday. "This one's called 'Reeboks in Heaven' because it was written two weeks after he died, so it's all about his life. He was a professor of aerodynamics, and he quite liked his trainers. The first version wasn't quite complete. It was nice, but it just had to be reworked, so I'm quite pleased that's on it."

Quite! So what about a North American tour, then? Well, it's still a few months off. The band is in the early stages of setting one up for next year, likely to coincide with Austin's annual music conference, SXSW. In the meantime, Fujiya & Miyagi are playing out in Europe on weekends, so as to not interfere with their day jobs. So if you happen to be in Antwerp, here you go:

10-21 Antwerp, Belgium - Petrol
11-11 Berlin, Germany - 103 Club
12-02 Barcelona, Spain - CCIB