Fantasma is the third studio album by Japanese musician Cornelius, released on August 6, 1997 on his label Trattoria. Oyamada envisioned the album as "a one-on-one experience between the music and the listener.... It starts with you entering into the journey and ends with you returning back to reality." It peaked at number 6 on the Oricon Albums Chart and number 37 on the UK Independent Albums Chart. Three singles were issued from the album: "Star Fruits Surf Rider", "Free Fall", and "Chapter 8 – Seashore and Horizon –". Fantasma was initially received with mixed reviews, but drew more praise in later years as one of the defining works of Shibuya-kei. Critic W. David Marx described Fantasma as "an important textbook for an alternative musical history where Bach, Bacharach, and the Beach Boys stands as the great triumvirate." The Japanese edition of Rolling Stone ranked Fantasma number 10 on their list of "100 Greatest Japanese Rock Albums".
Production and release
The tracks on Fantasma were written and recorded in the same order they appear on the album, and were produced on magnetic digital reel tape recorders. Cornelius's goal in creating the album was to "take the listener on a personal trip, to be a one-on-one experience between the music and the listener.... It starts with you entering into the journey and ends with you returning back to reality." Almost all of the tracks were named after existing music bands, including references to Count Five, the Clash, and Microdisney. Buffalo Daughter's Moog Yamamoto appeared on "Mic Check" and "2010". The Apples in Stereo's Robert Schneider and Hilarie Sidney performed on "Chapter 8 – Seashore and Horizon –", while the High Llamas' Sean O'Hagan appeared on "Thank You for the Music". In Japan, the limited edition of Fantasma which comes with stereo earphones was released via Trattoria Records on August 6, 1997. The standard edition of the album was released on September 3, 1997. On March 24, 1998, Fantasma was released in North America and Europe via Matador Records. Due to sample clearance issues, "Monkey" was retitled to "Magoo Opening", the same as the title of the sampled song, and it was counted as a cover. As of 2006, Fantasma had sold more than 300,000 copies worldwide. Two companion remix albums, FM and CM, were released on November 26, 1998. The former is composed of remixed Fantasma tracks by Money Mark, the High Llamas, Buffalo Daughter, the Pastels, Damon Albarn of Blur, Unkle, and Coldcut. The latter is composed of remixes by Cornelius of most of the artists that contributed to FM. The former reached number 39 and the latter reached number 40 on the Oricon Albums Chart.
Critical reception
of AllMusic praised Fantasma as "one of those rare records where you can't tell what's going to happen next, and it leaves you hungry for more." Stephen Thompson of The A.V. Club said, "Fantasma is a crisp, dynamic, mostly pleasant construction that sounds like the product of one inventive man whose sounds are created and manipulated strictly within the confines of a studio setting." Steve McClure of Billboard called it "a wonderful example of how some of Japan's best pop musicians assimilate Western musical influences and combine them in original, quirky ways." In 2007, Rolling Stone Japan placed Fantasma at number 10 on its list of the "100 Greatest Japanese Rock Albums of All Time". In 2011, it was included in LA Weeklys "beginner's guide" to Shibuya-kei. Reviewing the album's 2016 re-issue, Daniel Sylvester of Exclaim! wrote that "Cornelius used entire genre motifs wholesale to deliver one of the most exploratory releases of all time." Patrick St. Michel of Pitchfork said "it feels like an act of grateful tribute rather than a hip name-check."
Reissue history
On November 3, 2010, the remastered version of Fantasma was released via Warner Music Japan. It was remastered by Yoshinori Sunahara. The limited edition includes a bonus CD and a bonus DVD. On June 10, 2016, Fantasma was reissued in the United States, accompanied by a tour in August including a date performing at the Eaux Claires festival. The album was released as a limited edition remastered double vinyl LP via Lefse Records and digitally released via Post Modern.
