Event Asobi Seksu City Los Angeles State California Venue Troubadour Date October 18, 2006
by Ian Cohen
What kinds of jokers still call Asobi Seksu “shoegazers?” Oh yeah, damn near everyone who reviewed their latest album, 2006′s luminescent Citrus. But while the coy vocals of Yuki and the heavily processed guitars immediately bring to mind the racket of My Bloody Valentine, their sound is an endless upward spiral. This isn’t bedsit music; it’s more like an album you’d take on a hang gliding expedition.
Friday November 10th, not too many of the enraptured fans at the Troubadour had eyes downward either, as Asobi Seksu delivered what turned out to be one of three captivating sets. Boston alt-rock alchemists Bon Savants showed why they won’t be unsigned for much longer, while headlining act The Wrens played with a fervent energy that belied their graying hair.
For all the talk that’s dedicated to the vivid studio treatment given to Asobi Seksu songs, they tend to make a lot more sense live. For one thing, they play loud, but never to the point of white noise. Citrus sounds better if you crank it, and that’s essentially what the live show is. What sounds like a wall of guitars on record is actually split up between James Hanna and Yuki’s keyboards, which do a remarkable job of simulating the bends on “Strawberry.”
The set list was a rather even split between their self-titled debut and Citrus, with the latter’s tracks getting the most enthusiastic response. Eschewing most of the slower material, the band ran through furious and catchy fire drills like “New Year” and “Thursday” with pinpoint precision.
The all-too short performance was righteously ended with Citrus’ most ambitious track, the epic, skyscraping “Red Sea.” It’s a concise encapsulation of Asobi’s strengths; a spacey, tense tom roll leads to an instantly memorable chorus before being split in half by an exhilarating bridge that pumps the distortion and reverb out through a firehose. Rather than indulging in the three minutes of feedback that close out the album version, the band quickly segued into ’60′s girl group chestnut “And Then He Kissed Me.” It was an utterly seamless transition that amplified why Asobi will likely be headlining next time they come out; while a wall of noise can be impressive on its own, Asobi Seksu knows how to construct lavish sonic architecture with a solid melodic foundation.
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