Performer Notes

Cornelius: Keigo "Cornelius" Oyamada.
Personnel: Toyoaki Mishima (programming).
Audio Mixer: Toru Takayama.
Photographer: Masakazu Kitayama.
Translator: Ricky Domen.
The Japanese sample wizard's sophomore domestic full-length is less cut-and-paste and more fully realized than its predecessor, demonstrating Cornelius's developing technical smarts and sophistication. He combines airy vocals that recall such other pop experimenters as Chicago's Sea And Cake with a variety of cannily incorporated rhythmic backgrounds, including running water samples in "Drop," and bird calls. The tapestry is complex and varied, with multi-layered harmonies and acoustic guitars contributing to the pastoral atmosphere of many of the tracks.
In contrast, there's the choppy funk of "Smoke," complete with apocalyptic guitar solo, the synthetic Brazilian rhythms of "Bird Watching At Inner Forest," and hard, amphetamine rock on "I Hate Hate," whose one lyric is a terse Japanese "Damn!" But the point where POINT's elements really take off is a beautifully set version of the classic "Brazil," where a gorgeous computerized vocal seems to embody both the song's Technicolor tackiness and its simple, lyrical yearning.

Professional Reviews

Spin (2/02, p.110) - 7 out of 10 - "...Burbling iridescent streams of symphonic guitar figures and multi-tracked Cornelii mingling with lapping waves and chirping birds..."

Entertainment Weekly (2/15/02, pp.68-9) - "Beautiful music for clever 21st-century lads and lasses..." - Rating: A

Q (3/02, p.117) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Deliriously fine..."

Uncut (1/03, p.97) - Ranked #50 in Uncut's "100 Best Albums of the Year" - "...The ghosts of Brian Wilson and Steely Dan loom close..."

Alternative Press (2/02, p.68) - 8 out of 10 - "...A rewarding listen. It's a collection of rich textures and nature-inflected compositions..."

The Wire (1/02, p.52) - "...Rather lovely songs that toy with expectations...without brushing them aside..."

Mojo (Publisher) (2/02, p.98) - "...A stylish exploration of mood and groove..."

NME (Magazine) (1/26/02, p.36) - 8 out of 10 - "...Like a collection of commerical suicide notes, POINT reaffirms that there's no end to the wilfully obscure manoeuvers of Cornelius....POINT chooses the gentlest of found sounds and the brightest of colors from the post-rock palette."

Album: Point
#	Song Title	Time
1)	Bug (Electric Last Minute)
2)	Point of View Point
3)	Smoke
4)	Drop
5)	Another View Point
6)	Tone Twilight Zone
7)	Bird Watching at Inner Forest
8)	I Hate Hate
9)	Brazil
10)	Fly
11)	Nowhere

Album: Point
#	Song Title	Time
1)	Bug (Electric Last Minute)
2)	Point of View Point
3)	Smoke
4)	Drop
5)	Another View Point
6)	Tone Twilight Zone
7)	Bird Watching at Inner Forest
8)	I Hate Hate
9)	Brazil
10)	Fly
11)	Nowhere