YMO had only recently disbanded, but Hosono forged ahead with another techno-pop vision, this time with the newly assembled Friends of Earth, for the whizzbang robotic blur of S-F-X. Twitchy electro-funk and “Rockit!”-style scratching abound on the faster tracks, while other tunes resemble roller boogie as made by bots. After the whirring mechanized assault of the album, Hosono tucks away a gorgeous piano ballad “Dark Side Of The Star” at the end.