BGM stands for "background music," and one could be mistaken for thinking that this is an album of ambient-sounding tracks. Instead, it's a continuation of
YMO's techno aesthetic, focusing more on
Takahashi's distorted vocals and similarly liquid synth sounds, which give much of the album a melancholic air. There's also the sense of a group rushing to put out another album (close on the heels of
Xoo Multiplies). One of
Sakamoto's efforts (
"1000 Knives") comes from his 1978 solo album, revisited here as a twisted blurp of an instrumental; the other (
"Happy End") is all atmosphere and no substance. And
YMO's attempt to understand rap (
"Rap Phenomena") is as plodding as it is embarrassing. However, there are some standout tracks on side two:
"Cue" by
Hosono and
Takahashi is a very assured ballad, given sufficient frisson by its galloping synth line and strangely programmed drums;
"Uâ?¢T" is a
Kraftwerk-ian instrumental charged with menace and speed; and
"Loom" finally gets to a calm resting place of dripping water, floating electronics, and a
Eno-esque atmosphere. If only the first half was a good as the second. ~ Ted Mills
