lowquality.net » Musician / Geek

I have really fallen in love with the new Asobi Seksu album, but not quite the same way that I fell for the first one. While I wouldn’t go so far as to describe Citrus as a “sophomore slump” record, I will say that I don’t find it to be quite as clever and contagious as their debut album. That having been said, this record does a fantastic job of capturing more of the band’s live sound. The key word with this album is MORE: Take everything you like about Asobi Seksu and Citrus does it to the power of ten. Citrus more than one-ups the band’s sweet coccoon of melancholy, shoegazing pop (even going so far as to reference the bass line to the Beach Boy’s “Sloop John B” on the album’s third track, “Strings”) as well as simultaneously cranking up the abrasive, dissonant, Thurston Moore-esque noise assault with some amazing and unexpected results (my favorite being the totally left-field feedback bomb in the middle of “New Years”). With the release of Citrus Asobi Seksu continues to be one of my favorite new bands and a band I almost go to see when they are in town. I find myself beginning my discussions of the band’s music with “I’m not normally into this kind of stuff, but…” and their latest effort augments that sentiment.

Asobi Seksu will be playing at Relative Theory Records this Saturday (June 10th) at 8PM. Meet me there. We’ll hang.