Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful floating pop rock, July 7, 2006
When I picked up this album today, I had never heard of this group, let alone heard any of their music. But I'm glad I got this album! This music is right down my line.
What I hear in the music is a blend of psychedelia, 80s pop, and lots of that wonderful early 90s music that I call "brightwave," but I guess the common term is shoegazer--music like Cocteau Twins, Autumn's Grey Solace, or Lush.
"Exotic Animal Paradise" and "Red Sea" remind me the most of Cocteau Twins, their shimmering, floating sound that I associate with big ocean waves and peaceful summer days. "Red Sea" has a big sound grand ending. "Thursday" also has some of this sound at the end, but with more of a feel-good pop flavor.
Songs such as "New Years," "Goodbye," and "Mizu Asobi" have a sound that reminds me of cheerful, quirky 80s new wave pop, where I hear occasional touches of Blondie, glitzed up with fuzzed-out, psychedelia guitars. In some songs, such as "Strings" and "Pink Cloud Tracing Paper," I hear traces of mid-80s New Order influence.
The songs are sung in a mixture of English and Japanese, with all the tracks but one featuring a female vocalist. There's not a song on here I don't like. This is quintessential summer music for me, and I expect to be listening to this a lot the remainder of this summer.
March 2007 Update: I originally reviewed the day I got it in summer 2006. Amazon's system doesn't permit changing of stars, but if I could, I would change this to 5 stars. There was no album in 2006 whose music I liked better than this one. The music is so beautiful that it deeply moves me.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
outstanding album!, September 18, 2006
whenever a new bands surfaces and mines old territory, the naysayers inevitably appear and begin to knock down the current in favor of the past. not only is comparing the present to past generally unfair and shortsighted, it's also amounts to a display on narrow-mindedness. no, asobi seksu aren't my bloody valentine, slowdive, ride, swervedriver, or any number of other shoegazer bands. shoegazing hit its peak nearly 15 years ago. those who hold on to as though it were some holy grail do themselves a disservice by refusing to properly acknowledge a band who has nothing but love for the aforementioned band.
asobi seksu, a nyc quarted, is a crazily fantastic band. sure, the elements of shoegazing are there, name in the swirling, kaleidoscopic guitars and yuki's occasional elizabeth-frasier-esque vocals tics. but yuki owes more of debt to harriet wheeler than elizabeth frasier. asobi seksu is everything that's right about great pop/rock music. tight, effecient songs, effortless melodies, intricate and interesting musicianship, and enough energy to light a city for weeks. if it seems that asobi seksu is a highly calculated band, nothing could be futher from the truth.
through they do mine familiar shoegazer territory, asobi seksu is a highly orginal and exciting band. the first 1/2 of the album is as good as anything i've heard in a LONG time (and i listen to a lot of music). the one-two punch of 'new years' and 'thursday' is as great as anything you'll hear this year. both are heavy, exciting, i dare say thrilling, tracks. the choruses, particularly 'thursday,' are spine chilling.
sure, asobi seksu will make you a bit nostalgic for the days of mbv and slowdive, but they'll also make you excited about the future of music. with a soundtrack like this, how can life be anything but beautiful and wonderful? a really remarkable album.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Citrus, October 7, 2008
On their second LP, Citrus, Asobi Seksu sound like a band that has come into their own. The songwriting on Citrus far outclasses the work on their self-titled debut, with tracks like "Thursday" and "Goodbye" standing as some of the best tracks of 2006. Stylistically, the album is at times both more and less shoegazy than their debut. Tracks like "Pink Cloud Tracing Paper" and "Red Sea" sound like they would belong on a Slowdive record, whereas the aforementioned "Goodbye" is more of an alternative power-pop track, managing to be both playful and smart. There isn't really a single track on this record that isn't worth its weight, and the sequencing is exciting and well planned.
Ultimately, for any fan of shoegaze, alternative pop, or luscious female vocals, Citrus is a must-have. And, for any fan that enjoys this record, definitely check out their debut, which is a competent, if not quite as dynamic, record. Definitely one of the best of 2006.
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