Asobi Seksu: HUSH

[If you shout...]

YouTube - Asobi Seksu - Thursday

That song is called "Thursday," and it is one of the best songs of the decade. The band in question is Asobi Seksu, a New York-based shoegaze/dream-pop band helmed by an American dude (James Hanna) and fronted by a Japanese-American lead singer (Yuki Chikudate). The songs are gargantuan, the vocals are better than angelic, and the songs are most definitely there to back it all up with aplomb. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful band. I think that people would do well to check them out.

Hush, their third full-length, was just released on February 17. It, like all of their records (and the majority of their singles) is a joy not only to listen to, but also to behold. Just look at their album covers, starting with their self-titled debut, continuing on to the "Thursday"-housing Citrus, and then wrapping it all up with Hush. Dig it:

The debut album is a bit muddled, with a few high points, to be sure, but also a lot of seeming confusion about just what the band is supposed to be. Citrus fires on all motherfucking cylinders, though, and both literally and figuratively blasted its way nearly to the top of my list of favorite albums of 2006. Hush, the newest, is a very strong, relatively subdued (at least in comparison) record--much more dream-pop than shoegaze, this time. Very powerful, still, but also far more delicate. Fragile, even. I really love it.

If you listen, I hope that you do, too!

Here are some songs:

"Goodbye," from Citrus (this video is stunning)

YouTube - Asobi Seksu - "Goodbye"


"Me & Mary," from Hush

YouTube - Asobi Seksu - Me & Mary


"Walk on the Moon," from Asobi Seksu

YouTube - Asobi Seksu- Walk On The Moon


And, like any good shoegaze band should be required to do, they gave a pretty solid shout-out to Phil Spector and The Crystals. Enjoy.

YouTube - Asobi Seksu - And Then He Kissed Me


So you know, they're on tour, right now. You'd do well to check them out, as pretty much all of these gigs are, to my knowledge, between 10 and 15 dollars. Very cheap, very solid, very worth your while. I just saw them, a few months ago, and am looking forward to catching them at the Empty Bottle, in a few weeks. Catch them while you can!

MySpace (dates)

 

[newl]

i've been wanting to check Asobi Seksu out for a while so thanks for the reminder.

while we're on a shoegaze tip......Amusement parks on fire-In flight

YouTube - In Flight

 

[u2popmofo]

Quick, how many other indie bands can you name with Japanese front women? This is all I can come up with

Blonde Redhead
Enon
Cibo Matto (if you count them)

 

[If you shout...]

Deerhoof

 

[If you shout...]

And I don't think that Cibo Matto counts (or at least not any more than, say, Shonen Knife or OOIOO) as it's a Japanese band... Even Sean Lennon's not straight-up white.

 

[u2popmofo]

And I don't think that Cibo Matto counts (or at least not any more than, say, Shonen Knife or OOIOO) as it's a Japanese band... Even Sean Lennon's not straight-up white.

I was disappointed that I could not find the music video for 'Know Your Chicken' on Youtube just now, but I did find this.

YouTube - Cibo Matto "Know Your Chicken" live on Squirt TV

 

[The Sad Punk]

Citrus is great. Haven't heard the debut or Hush - though that new single is pretty good. Is the album getting many decent reviews, though?

 

[If you shout...]

Mixed reviews. From "mediocre" to "very good."

Asobi Seksu: Hush (2009): Reviews

 

[If you shout...]

Wonderful show, last night. Again, I really encourage anybody who can to go and catch them. The shows are cheap as dirt, and the first band on the bill, Resplandor, fucking blew me away. Some Peruvian kids. One of the loudest sets I've seen in a while. Only made it through 2/3 of a song, before I had to resort to earplugs. The vocalist sucked, unfortunately. They all seemed dead-ass tired, but still played well. The record sounds very strong.

Great stuff, all around. I'm pleased to see that AS is finally in a place, after three solid records, where I can go see them and not be able to hear every song I wanted to hear. Kind of sucks, if they skip a favorite, but it reminds me how proud of them I am. They've stuck to it, and the songs are more than worth your ten dollars! I promise!

Check 'em out:

MySpace

 

[The Sad Punk]

Ooh, Resplandor opened for them? I like those guys.

I guess it's probably too much to ask that Asobi come to Australia any time soon, but I'm glad to hear they put on a good show.

 

[No spoken words]

Dear IYS:

I have spent a lot of $$$ on music lately because of you. Even when then bands do not live up to your personal brand of hyperbole, they're still usually worth the purchase.

As it turns out, this particular band was more than worth the purchase.

Gracias.

-NSW

 

[If you shout...]

No worries. I'm glad to have been of some help. Sorry about the hits to the wallet, though.

And, yeah, I don't know that Asobi Seksu is really worthy of much hyperbole, a few genuinely perfect songs notwithstanding. They've a very good/at times wonderful band, but they're not going to make anybody forget about My Bloody Valentine.

 

[The Sad Punk]

Dear IYS:

I have spent a lot of $$$ on music lately because of you. Even when then bands do not live up to your personal brand of hyperbole, they're still usually worth the purchase.

As it turns out, this particular band was more than worth the purchase.

Gracias.

-NSW

You'll never get to Barcelona if you keep up these charades!

 

[If you shout...]

By the way, NSW, which record(s) or single(s) did you pick up?

 

[If you shout...]

NSW, they're yet again playing Chicago, within the next few weeks. They're opening for Loney Dear, on October 10. At the Bottom Lounge, this time. Not sure if you'll be around, but there you go. It's like the fifteenth time they've been here, since this time last year.

 

[If you shout...]

NSW, et al:

Asobi Seksu: REWOLF - Polyvinyl Record Co. - Store