Japan’s Cornelius Fuses Styles in Adventurous Pop Program

Named after a simian character in “Planet of the Apes,” Japan’s Cornelius (a.k.a. Keigo Oyamada) presented his vision of pop at the Troubadour on Saturday, fusing past and future in an often compelling jumble of burbling electro-pop, noisy punk guitar and modern dance music.

Wielding a guitar along with various electronic instruments, the 27-year-old musician resembled the shaggy-haired leader of an American garage or punk quartet, dressed in black pants and a white, untucked dress shirt. Many songs from his first U.S. album, “Fantasma,” even referred to vintage pop and punk acts. But more than the actual music, Cornelius’ performance recalled the adventurous spirit of such artists as the Beach Boys and the Music Machine.

Against a psychedelic backdrop of video clips, whimsical animation and strobe lights, he and his group offered a set that was rawer and more immediate than the sleek, shiny “Fantasma,” but also less hook-driven.

Cornelius’ affinity for genre-hopping and fascination with American pop culture have led some to describe him as “the Japanese Beck.” His sensibilities are obviously more attuned to his own country’s tastes, so his music wasn’t as appealing to the U.S. mainstream as his American counterpart’s. Still, the show was a fascinating glimpse of what might be waiting for us beyond the pop horizon.