Cornelius

A touch less kitschy and more organic than his Shibuya-Kei cohorts (Pizzicato Five, Fantastic Plastic Machine), Cornelius has long been hailed the Odelay of the East. A self-taught guitarist, he's manifested his Beck-ish cut-and paste fantasies on four albums, the final two of which were distributed by U.S. underground cornerstone, Matador Records. KISS informed his guitar knowledge, so rocking moments underpin his breakbeats, sunny pop harmonies and tropico flavorings. This year's The Point was more focused and less collage-obsessed than his 1997 breakthrough, Fantasma. But the quieter electronic pondering is still as playful as “monkeys monkeying around” scenes from the cult TV show of his namesake-Planet of the Apes.