Rock and Pop: Asobi Seksu @Relentless Garage
Published: 31 March, 2011
by ROISIN GADELRAB
FOLLOWERS of New York quartet Asobi Seksu will know their fourth album is already drawing favourable attention.
But for those not yet familiar with the group’s latest offering – Fluourescence (out this week) – a visit to Relentless Garage at Highbury Corner, on April 17, may shed some light on what all the fuss is about.
They melt from dream pop to shoegaze to soaring heavy-effect instrumentals, which have historically attracted comparisons with My Bloody Valentine. Singer and keyboardist Yuki Chikudate is an accomplished frontwoman, playing the solid lead role around which her three male counterparts congregate.
The scattered stage arrangement provides a strong visualisation of Asobi Seksu’s newer, stripped down sound.
They may have made a conscious decision to keep things sparse but their resolve has proven patchy at best, allowing the power chords for which they are most popular to remain, even more pronounced against a newfound crystalline audio backdrop.