beautiful. is the third album by Fantastic Plastic Machine, the follow-up to Luxury. It is his first album after moving from Readymade Records to Avex Trax. beautiful. is generally regarded as one of his most critical works, signaling a maturation from his previous Shibuya-kei style to a rich blend of house music and 1970s' Philadelphia soul. The album took eight months to produce, taking Tanaka to such places as the Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia and Quad Studios in New York City. While at Quad Studios, Tanaka recorded songs with Hirth Martinez and the jazz singer Bob Dorough.