Music Review

22 November 2008 12:09 BST

Asobi Seksu: Citrus

One Little Indian records, out now.

What's it all about?

Second album from New York-based Asobi Seksu, first released over a year ago but only now making its way to UK shores.

It's about this time in every review the words 'My Bloody Valentine' get mentioned, for it’s the pioneering early-90s shoegazers who are an obvious reference point for the band. But it's not just about a copycat style; though remnants of the Sonic Youth sound are also found on Citrus, it's the Japanese pop roots of singer Yuki Chikudate that really help Asobi Seksu stand out from the crowd.

Who's it by?

It only takes a brief listen to Citrus to work out that it's Yuki and guitarist James Hanna who are the driving force behind Asobi Seksu. Sure enough, before the recording of Citrus the duo decided to recruit bassist Haji and drummer Mitch Spivak in place of the previous rhythm section.

Spivak has since departed himself, leaving Ben Shapiro to take his place. The chopping and changing doesn't seem to have adversely affected the band, with Yuki's blissful vocals alternating between Japanese and English as if she hadn't a care in the world, whatever the lyrical content.

As an example…

"It seems you lost your way / You've let it all fall apart / Nothing's left here but you." – Thursday's lyrics look maudlin on paper but it's far from a head-in-the-hands requiem.

Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys

You never know – the potential for crossover success is there, and the album's certainly good enough.

So is it any good?

Though Asobi Seksu have largely been tagged as a shoegaze band, Citrus sees them scorn uncertain shuffling in favour of uplifting pop. While the usual 'wall of guitars' and 'atmospheric sweep' tags definitely still apply, there's a melodic centre that's constantly fighting to make itself heard.

The whole thing kicks off proper with Strawberries, and as the instrumentation accelerates behind a layer of reverb and traditional verse structures you can't help but get caught up in it.

As a second album Citrus improves almost uniformly on the band's eponymous debut. It sounds bigger, is fully-formed and wisely isn't afraid to let Yuki's vocals sail over the top of the rest of the music. And though the lyrics aren't much to get worked up over, you can't make them out half the time anyway – as demonstrated on first single Thursday, which combines soaring melodies with an ethereal vocal lilt and provides the album's most memorable tune in the process.

That's not to say there aren't others – Lions and Tigers, Goodbye, Strings…most of the album in fact, and it's the simple ability to write a great pop song that's behind every success on the album. The guitar overdubs might be reminiscent of a scene that's long since been left behind, but then you never could put a timeframe on good song writing.

8/10

Dan Jones